Dead Man’s Wire

By Joanna Langfield

Gus Van Sant’s nifty new crime drama reminds us that everything old is new again.

Based on true events, we are taken back to a gritty and dank few days in February of 1977, as a desperate Tony Kiritsis kidnaps mortgage company executive Richard Hall. About to be foreclosed, Tony holds Richard for ransom. He wants money, a clear record and, most importantly, an apology from the owner, whom he feels has deceived him with shady lending practices. As much a period piece as it so definitely is, Van Sant also makes it clear that we were, and are, a society that, in more than a few cases, celebrates the guy who takes on the man, be it Kiritsis or, as it is happening today. Luigi Mangione.

Fat free and realistic, this is a piece that reminded me of some of Sidney Lumet’s work of that period. No time is wasted, no excess pads the picture. The tightly edited scenes not only grab us, but carry us through the days of the story, made even more true (and entertaining) by some terrific acting and Danny Elfman’s wonderful score.

Colman Domingo is just about perfect as the soul-infused radio DJ Tony feels all too close to. And Dacre Montgomery brings a smartly calibrated combination of fear and sadness to his Richard. Al Pacino, in just a few scenes, speaks volumes but it’s Bill Skarsgard who rightly dominates. His sweaty, furious Tony weaves in just enough human kindness to make us wonder if, in taking on lenders who may or may not have been unscrupulous, his actions, violent as they were, may have been, at least initially, based on a righteous indignation.