This movie, Dead Man’s Wire, has it all. Corporate villains; working-class antihero; celebrity radio host; a crime shocking enough to grip a country. It’s a 70s version of David & Goliath with socio-politics at its most accessible. Exciting, resonant and unmissable.
The Back Story
Tony Kiritsis (Bill Skarsgard) saved enough money to put a deposit on a plot of land that a grocery company verbally agreed to lease. But when Kiritsis bought the property, the company reneged.
With his dreams in tatters, and facing financial ruin, Kiritsis contacted the owners of Meridian Mortgages, Richard Hall (Dacre Montgomery) and M.L. Hall (Al Pacino), to request time to pay. They turned him down flat.
Kiritsis made a last ditch attempt to persuade the grocery company to sign the lease, only to discover it was Meridian who had scuppered his original deal. When they discovered the plot was worth a lot more than Kiritsis paid, they turned into bloodsucker mode and started legal proceedings to foreclose. in other words, they held a gun to his head. Kiritsis was incensed and, with literally nothing to lose, he picked up the mantle.
Action!
Kiritsis replaces David’s sling with a sawed-off shotgun, attaches its muzzle to the back of Goliath’s head and the trigger to a neck wire. With the gun now in his hands, the reversal is complete. It’s poetically just, svelte engineering, visually compelling and, of course, likely to blow Goliath’s head off.
What Happens Next
Dead Man’s Wire has a penchant for turning everything on its head. Once the crime has been committed, the felon decides to call the cops on himself. By the time he’s surrounded by flashing lights and SWAT, he’s joined an audience phone-in at the local radio station. It’s incredibly bizarre but so grounded in human fallibility, it’s impossible not to hang on to every word. And that’s exactly why we go to the movies.
The Slip-Ups
The film zips along in confident strides but, unfortunately, skips over some strands that need padding. Tony’s brother (Daniel R. Hill) is decidedly screen-absent, yet it’s later claimed he played a major part in bringing Tony to the table.
Another issue is the epilogue. The story ending is satisfying and the promise of the unpredictable fulfilled, but then it drifts beyond its self-imposed finishing line. We’d already bid a fond farewell to our hero, so screen text for the ‘what happened later’ would have worked just fine.
Echoes of The 70s
At times, the music is intrusive which is unnecessary as the soundscape is already cocooned in a magical ‘70s groove‘, courtesy of Fred Temple (Colman Domingo), the ‘Voice of Indianapolis.‘ When he broadcasts Kiritsis’ story, his phone lines light up and provide the same public barometer as social media did when Luigi shot the twenties version of M.L. Hall.
Luigi V Kiritsis
Hopefully, Luigi will have more impact than Kiritsis on the growth of corporate greed. Back in the 70s, the Fat Cats were merely licking their lips in anticipation of the opportunities that deregulation would bring. And they weren’t disappointed.
Obviously, the definition of the American Dream needed to be a lot more specific.
Watch The Dead Man’s Wire Trailer
Dead Man’s Wire Trailer #1 (2026)
WRITTEN BY Austin Kolodney
DIRECTED BY Gus Van Sant
Release
In Theaters January 9, 2026
Streaming to be announced.
Distributor
Row K Entertainment
Tel +1 323 685 0000
Info@rowkpresents.com
Facts
Tony Kiritsis was released from a mental institution in January 1988, after the state could not prove he was still a danger to society. Kiritsis died in January 2005 at his home of natural causes. He was 72 years old.[2]
At the time of the trial, Indiana law (and that of some other states) required the prosecution to disprove a defendant’s claim of insanity, i.e. to prove the defendant sane, beyond a reasonable doubt. Directly as a result of the Kiritsis trial—particularly the testimony of chief defense psychiatrist Larry M. Davis—and the trial of John Hinckley Jr., Indiana and other states substantially revised their law to place the burden of proof for insanity-pleading defendants squarely on the shoulders of the defense.[1]
- John H. Blair, a freelance photographer for UPI, took a photograph of the incident that won him the 1978 Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography.[3]
