If you were to say there was a new movie from Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting) about a real-life story of an armed kidnapping that is arguably justified with Colman Domingo (Sing Sing), an insane Al Pacino (Heat), and Bill Skarsgård (Nosferatu) in the lead, then I would immediately be seated and intrigued. That is exactly what Dead Man’s Wire is and it is a tense drama that focuses on a completely unrecognizable Bill Skarsgård (in human form, at least) in arguably one of his best roles to date. Dead Man’s Wire is a captivating story of pushing the wrong man too far and, essentially, unfairly screwing him to the point where he just wants the truth and answers; in a world of corporate greed and tactics, someone finally stood up to being pushed around.
Al Pacino as M.L. Hall in DEAD MAN’S WIRE. Photo courtesy of Row K.
It takes place on February 8, 1977, as Tony Kiritsis (Skarsgård) walked into the offices of Meridian Mortgage Company looking for M. L. Hall (Pacino). But, as he was told that Hall was not in the office, despite having a meeting set up, Tony met with M. L.’s son and executive, Richard Hall (Darce Montgomery) instead. Tony went in to discuss the deal he was given which ultimately ruined his life. What Richard didn’t know when he agreed to meet Tony was that Tony was prepared to do whatever it took to get answers, including attaching a sawed-off 12-gauge shotgun to the back of Richard’s head with a dead man’s wire attached to Richard’s neck and the trigger so if police tried to shoot Tony or Richard tried to escape, the shotgun would go off and take Richard’s head. The story, if you don’t know it from what really happened, is captivating and powerful, and not one that we want to spoil. Simply put, the Halls screwed Tony over by supposedly warning people not to do business with him, making him default on his mortgage and having the company seize his land. Tony’s argument is that this was done intentionally and maliciously as they knew the value of the property and wanted it for themselves and didn’t care whose life they ruined in the process of acquiring the asset.
Colman Domingo as Fred Temple in DEAD MAN’S WIRE. Photo courtesy of Row K.
While the facts about what happened are different than the real-life case, the script from Austin Kolodney (Two Chairs, Not One) and presented by Van Sant takes creative liberties which result in a film that is far more interesting and impactful for the audience as a whole. We have an anti-hero we want to back in Tony, someone who’s supposedly in the wrong in Richard, his awful father who only sees profit margins, and the radio DJ in Fred Temple who Tony is obsessed with and wants to solely communicate and work with. All of this together creates an explosive and riveting drama that is excelled by the casts’ performances.
Myha’la as Linda Page in DEAD MAN’S WIRE. Photo courtesy of Row K.
As they’re the focal point of the feature, both Skarsgård and Montgomery had to be nearly perfect, if not perfect, and their chemistry had to be impeccable. Thankfully, Skarsgård is controlled but absolutely menacing in his role of Tony while Montgomery plays Richard as truly terrified and scared for his life in his situation exceptionally well. But it is Pacino who does the most Looney Tunes Longhorn Foghorn performance I’ve seen outside of Chuck Jones cartoons which makes his performance so outlandishly ridiculous that it unintentionally brings some much-needed levity and humour. Lastly, Colman Domingo, creates a powerful light and determined performance as Fred Temple who is caught in the middle of this due to an overzealous fan.
L-R: Darce Montgomery as Richard Hall and Bill Skarsgard as Tony Kristisis in DEAD MAN’S WIRE. Photo courtesy of TIFF.
Dead Man’s Wire boasts incredible performances, great direction, and a strong script which, paired all together, create a tense, provocative, and powerful drama that makes an incredibly well-rounded film. There aren’t a lot of things that go wrong. Even though Pacino feels like he’s in a completely different movie on a different planet, it brings some levity to the film that is almost needed to break the severity of everything going on. Dead Man’s Wire is exceptionally fun, smart, and dangerous; it’s a true story that may take some creative liberties but ultimately creates a more interesting feature.
Screened during Toronto International Film Festival 2025.
In select theaters January 9th, 2026.
Wider release January 16th, 2026.
For more information, head to the official Dead Man’s Wire Toronto International Film Festival or Row K webpage.
Final Score: 4 out of 5.
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Categories: In Theaters, Reviews
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