Title – Dead Man’s Wire (2025)

Director – Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting)

Cast – Bill Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery, Colman Domingo, Myha’la, Cary Elwes, Al Pacino

Plot – Based on the true story of Tony Kiritsis (Skarsgård), who after being enraged by what he saw as a dodgy business deal, took mortgage company employee Richard Hall (Montgomery) hostage in what became a nationally televised event.

“I don’t know if we want to make a scene like that”

Review by Eddie on 25/05/2026

Returning for his first feature film since 2018’s well-regarded if not exactly oft remembered Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot, Academy Award nominated filmmaker Gus Van Sant here explores the true story Tony Kiritsis, a man who rose to infamy in the late 70’s when he kidnapped and held hostage a mortgage company employee after he felt the company had wronged him (and others) for the sake of making a quick buck.

One of the industry’s most up and down directors, with every Good Will Hunting or Milk followed by the likes of The Sea of Trees or Last Days, it’s pleasing to see Van Sant back on good form here, as even though Wire is by no means anything grand, it’s a solid offering that continues the impressive run of lead Bill Skarsgård in challenging central roles.

There’s been significant media around Kirtitis’s crime in the past, TV specials and feature length documentaries included but with Van Sant and his team capturing the time and place strongly and the script by screenwriter Austin Kolodney offering a far more darkly comedic take on this event than one might initially expect, Wire remains an enjoyable white knuckle thriller that fails to leap into the next level.

Confined mostly to Kirtitis’s apartment as he holds Dacre Montgomery’s unfortunate Richard Hall captive with a media scrum waiting outside his windows, there are times where Wire doesn’t always hold our attention to the highest level but thanks to Skarsgård’s wildly inventive turn and his interplay with Montgomery and the likes of a near unrecognisable Cary Elwes and Colman Domingo’s smooth talking local DJ, Wire remains ever watchable.

Struggling to become a household name following his breakout turn as killer clown Pennywise in the IT films and prequel series, Skarsgård has continued to push himself in many various forms from his Oscar worthy turn in Nosferatu and memorable appearance in cult horror favourite Barbarian and while Wire has failed to breakout over the past few months, his commitment to his craft and to loose himself in roles should set him up in good stead to soon breakout massively in an unforgettable way.

A unique filmmaking visionary who has delivered both the very good and the very bad, it’s at the very minimum nice to see Van Sant return to his craft once more here and while Wire isn’t a film that’s going to be marked down or noted in the years to come, it’s an easy to enjoy exploration of a real life event that needs to be seen to be believed.

Final Say –

A well-made and acted film if a never far from slight one, Dead Man’s Wire sees director Gus Van Sant back after a long hiatus to deliver one of his more easily accessible features in some time.

3 well-meaning priests out of 5