If you lived in or around Indianapolis in the late 1970s you probably know the real story that inspired this film, but it was new to me. The versatile Bill Skarsgård plays a man who has grown so furious with his local mortgage company that he takes the owner’s grown son hostage. He fashions a noose-like rope around his neck and attaches it to a rifle, all in broad daylight. His brazen act stirs what we now call a media circus.
It’s an absurd and desperate desire for revenge against the businessmen who have wronged him, but he is nothing if not determined. With a passing nod to Dog Day Afternoon, young screenwriter Austin Kolodney fleshes out the narrative with incidents and character quirks that make for compelling entertainment. Gus Van Sant’s direction is straightforward and unfussy, lending an almost documentary feel to the film at times.
An extended cameo appearance by Al Pacino, as the head of the mortgage firm (and father of the hostage) threatens the verisimilitude of the piece but is so enjoyable that it would be Scrooge-like to complain. The other cast members fill their roles well, including Colman Domingo as a local radio host who serves as an intermediary for the kidnaper and Dacre Montgomery as the victim.
Dead Man’s Wire debuted in December of 2025 to qualify for Academy Award consideration. It opened theatrically on January 9th, spreading to more cities next week. It’s an unpretentious, engrossing movie that’s well worth seeing.
