The human mind is a complex wonder in of itself, and how it has the power to impact our actions is a question that can’t be answered simply in this review. Dead Man’s Wire (2025) is a story of a scorned man.
A man willing to risk the life of another man in order to get his point across, and take what he believes is rightfully his. Directed by the incredible Gus Van Sant, the American historical crime film stars Bill Skarsgård (yes the Pennywise of 2017’s It) as Anthony “Tony” Kiritsis, a man sporting an arm cast who embarks on a unique but deadly journey to get what he wants.
Targeting the son of a wealthy mortgage company owner to whom he is nonetheless indebted to, Tony makes a desperate attempt to bargain his way out of his own financial uncertainties.
Erratic and aloof, Tony pursues his mission with total tunnel vision, and he is not willing to compromise no one else’s bargain. As a history lover who also loves the 1970s, this film’s setting alone was enough to have me seated.
Coupled with the fact that it is based on a true crime story, it further adds to the allure of the time period that the film’s narrative is written about. The 1970s was one of the peak eras of true crime, from the grippling story of the Son of Sam, to even the Manson Family cult who were infamous for the murder of actress Sharon Tate, this film makes a daring attempt to mirror the fragile American psyche (and fears) of that time. The film itself does a great job paying homage to the 1970s aesthetic wholeheartedly. With its setting being in 1977, Indianapolis, the direction of the shots have a vintage haze, yet is crisp in detail.
Van Sant, whose many brilliant works includes My Own Private Idaho (1991), which stars Keanu Reeves and the late River Phoenix, and the Good Will Hunting (1997), starring Matt Damon and the late Robin Williams, Van Sant has a nuanced method in writing his male protagonists.
To understand a man like Tony Kiritsis, the audience is required to envision themselves in his position. He appears to be an individual who takes matters very seriously into his own hands, attempting to play God by strapping a wire around Richard “Dick” Hall’s neck (portrayed by Stranger Things’s Dacre Montgomery) with a sawed off shotgun.
This is all – of course – an attempt to get Richard to cooperate so that Tony can complete his agenda; which began when he fell behind on his mortgage payments to the Meridian Mortgage company.
Originally having plans to develop a grocery store chain with his once owned property, Tony is left near destitute. Now forsaken in his situation, a bitter Tony crafts a solution. Due to Dick’s father and the company’s owner, M.L. Hall (portrayed by Al Pacino), being out on a vacation in Florida, he unknowingly leaves his son Dick as the next convenient target.
Tony reveals his plan to kidnap Dick by catching him off guard under the pretense of delivering him blueprints while visiting the company’s office. Even though Tony isn’t overtly sinister, he is still nonetheless a criminal mind unhinged, (his package containing his “blueprints” was actually a sketch of the devised wire-shotgun intended for Dick.)
After restraining Dick with his neck contraption, Tony also lures the police force on a chase to follow all his premeditated moves, with the ordeal now being televised by the Channel 9 news. The police force, attempting to devise a strategy to take down Tony and rescue Dick, finds a new way in.
Fred Temple, the local radio host whom Tony is an avid fan of, receives a call from Tony, which he subsequently records on the behalf of the police. Tony confides to Fred, further divulging his feelings of betrayal by the hands of Dick’s father.
He constantly reassures Fred that he has never had much in life, but as expected worked tirelessly for what he earned, asserting that, “I’m not a rich man, I’m a poor man. And that’s never bothered me.”
This offers the audience a deeper glimpse into Tony’s psychology; he is an individual who had so much to lose, regardless of doing his due diligence and carving a way for himself by scratch, he is realizing that maybe it never mattered if he ever was a good man or not.
The police force applies pressure on Fred to continue communicating with Tony to help with their efforts. Originally reluctant, he agrees to join the effort to rescue Dick. After his first interview with Fred being aired the next day, the story causes a public media circus, just as federal agents inevitably get involved.
With his communication with Fred, Tony convinces himself that he is finally getting his point across, becoming increasingly mentally unstable by the hour. Tony appears to gloat at the fact the DJ is, “The voice of Indianapolis is chatting with me. Life’s crazy man.”
This, followed by Tony’s realization that Fred is working with the police, he demands a live conference with the public to witness.
There seems to be an underlying theme of validation, trust, and camaraderie Tony is seeking out during his scheme, with his desperation seeping through the surface, waiting to boil over. We see a montage of the police force attempting to deconstruct Tony’s pathology, which is cleverly done in a series of criminal mind sequences. During the conversation, his anger is the center of their focus.
These feelings that Tony is harboring: anger, humiliation, revenge, and the desire for respect are the only things driving his criminal actions. Morality in this film is intentionally presented as neither black and white.
Van Sant carefully orchestrated his messaging with how we allow ourselves to perceive Tony’s agenda. Despite Tony’s actions being far left field, he attempts to humanize Tony’s emotions, even by exaggerating his anger – which Skarsgard masterfully wields in his performance – with how he interacts with Dick, Fred, and the police force.
It also appears that Tony is not so subtly chasing a thrill by choosing to carry out his plans. Tony is relentless and wants his apology. The thematic element that I appreciated while watching this film is how it silently poses the question of Tony’s immoral actions.
Can we possibly view him as a victim who is simply reacting to the wrongdoings of others? How do we choose to eternalize the injustice that was done to us? And most importantly, can a wrong right another wrong?
We as the audience know better not to root for Tony of course, but Van Sant does try to convince us to somewhat offer Tony pity, even during the height of the film’s climatic ending. Dead Man’s Wire reminds us that seeking revenge ultimately can cost us more than what we think we should justifiably bargain for.
As for anger, the rage that fueled Tony was bound to lead him to a dead end. There is only losing when you decide to play God.
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