“Dead Man’s Wire” is “Good Will Hunting” and “Milk” director Gus Van Sant’s first feature film in more than seven years. He returns with a gritty, grounded and almost bare-bones thriller. The experience feels real — not heightened, flashy or Hollywood-y, because Van Sant takes a unique approach. “Dead Man’s Wire” is a combination of narrative storytelling with a documentary filmmaking style, incorporating some occasional archival news footage and placing us in the action more than the average suspense drama.
This is based on a chilling February 1977 incident in Indianapolis, where Tony Kiritsis (played by Bill Skarsgard) held his bank mortgager Richard Hall (Dacre Montgomery) hostage over an opportunity he feels went wrong. One of Tony’s demands is for Richard’s father (Al Pacino) to give him a direct, honest apology. There’s a pivotal moment about midway through “Dead Man’s Wire” that brings this issue to a head. It’s a gripping scene (among the 10 or 15 best of the year), with 85-year-old Pacino proving he’s still as compelling as ever. And his casting itself is a nod to his role as Sonny Wortzik in 1975’s “Dog Day Afternoon”.
Back-to-back Best Actor Oscar nominee Colman Domingo is also terrific as local legend radio host / DJ Fred Temple, who’s reluctantly forced-into this evolving crisis. Though he’s a ‘supporting’ character, Fred’s presence is felt throughout, with pockets of classic songs sprinkled in (the ’70s atmosphere is great). Domingo is *perfect* during a climactic press conference, reacting to Tony’s acknowledgments of him just as any prominent personality would.
Cary Elwes plays a police detective looking to defuse the situation, though he knows it won’t be easy. Myha’la (“Bodies Bodies Bodies”) does a nice job a TV news reporter whose coverage of the saga might take her career and presence on the station to the next level. And Skarsgard, best known for Pennywise in “It” and Count Orlock in “Nosferatu”, doesn’t need to rely on tons of makeup to give an effective performance. He portrays Tony as desperate, eager and ferocious, whose mind is clearly scattered and unsteady.
There are a couple bits of “Dead Man’s Wire” that are a little slow and too low-key, including early on, so maybe four or five minutes could’ve been shaved off the runtime. But by the end — an eerie conclusion that adds to the power and timeliness of this story — you’ll know you just watched a high-quality, old-fashioned and relevant movie. And it’s an excellent first film for distributor Row K, with several more titles on the way next year.
LCJ GRADE: A-
Running Time: 105 min.
“Dead Man’s Wire” will open in select theaters for an awards-qualifying run on December 12. Its official limited release is January 9, with a nationwide expansion on January 16.