Gus Van Sant's Dead Man's Wire dramatizes 1977 abduction but feels subdued

Gus Van Sant’s film Dead Man’s Wire dramatizes a curious 1977 Indianapolis hostage case, but a New York Times review says the movie lacks the energy of classic 1970s crime pictures. Written by Austin Kolodney, the film is based on the real incident in which Anthony Kiritsis abducted mortgage executive Richard Hall and rigged a shotgun to both men, demanding an apology for perceived wrongs tied to a commercial land deal.

The episode’s unusual method of hostage taking — the wired shotgun — is the story’s chief notoriety, and some of it was broadcast on television. The review critiques performances and choices: Bill Skarsgard plays Kiritsis as a “gruff, stringy collection of tics,” described as if imitating how Michael Shannon might have played the role.

Dacre Montgomery’s Richard Hall is given little personality, and Kolodney’s script, the review says, settles on an unsatisfying balance between a two-sided dynamic and a one-sided standoff. Al Pacino appears as the mortgage company’s head, calling from Florida — delivering lines such as “We Halls are stoic people” — in scenes the review calls terrible but fun.

The cast also includes Colman Domingo, Cary Elwes and Myha’la. The review notes Van Sant’s period touches, including ersatz video footage and a soundtrack of ’70s standards, and says the film ends with footage of the real Kiritsis and Hall, prompting the conclusion that a much crazier, livelier movie could have been made.

Key Topics

Culture, Gus Van Sant, Dead Man's Wire, Anthony Kiritsis, Richard Hall, Indianapolis