Dir: Gus Van Sant | Cast: Bill Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery, Al Pacino, Cary Elwes, Myha’la, Colman Domingo.
A cool comedy vibe runs through this witty little retro piece from Gus Van Sant. With screenwriter Austin Kolodney he creates a true-crime suspense thriller set in 1970s Indianapolis along similar lines to the classic Dog Day Afternoon.
Dead Man’s Wire follows disgruntled property developer Tony Kiritsis who takes mortgage broker Richard Hall hostage, threatening to kill him until he meets a list of demands. The title refers to the method the kidnapper used on his victim – a “dead man’s wire” tied to his shotgun which would go off if police marksman tried to kill him. The paranoid Kiritsis had fallen behinds on mortgage payments in his bid to build a shopping centre, and believed Hall and his father were putatively pulling a fast one with the intention of manipulating the situation in their favour. The humour is derived from Skarsgard’s febrile performance as the unhinged Kiritsis and an hilarious cameo from Al Pacino as a shrewd business who states his case convincingly and refuses to give the kidnapper the apology he wants over the phone. «These people played God and they lost » is all Tony has to say when the police stand by in a fully televised broadcast of the situation.
DoP Arnaud Potier captures the look of the era and along with a choice Seventies soundtrack with tunes from Yes and Donna Summer this is vintage Van Sant.
IN UK CINEMAS FROM 20 MARCH 2026