'Dead Man's Wire' Review: A Career-Best Bill Skarsgård Leads Gus Van Sant's Best Movie in Ages

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Bill Skarsgård on the phone in Dead Man's Wire

David is a Senior Editor at Collider focused primarily on Lists. His professional journey began in the mid-2010s as a Marketing specialist before embarking on his writing career in the 2020s. At Collider, David started as a Senior Writer in late 2022 and has been a Senior Editor since mid-2023. He is in charge of ideating compelling and engaging List articles by working closely with writers, both Senior and Junior, as well as other editors. Occasionally, David also reviews movies and TV shows and writes episode recaps. Currently, David is also writing his second novel, a psychological horror satire that will, hopefully, be picked up for publication sometime next year.

Art has always imitated life. At any given point, cinema has always reflected the circumstances surrounding it, be it New Hollywood adopting an angrier, more paranoid approach in the post-Watergate 1970s or '90s movies opting for a more independent, rebellious tone as Gen X rose to prominence at the turn of the millennium. Nowadays, cinema is the same: movies, much like the people watching them, are worried, tired, perhaps somewhat jaded, and more willing than ever to believe that reality is always stranger than fiction.

2026 is only a few days in, and we already seem to be living in a world on fire. Thus, I can think of no better movie to kickstart such a chaotic year than Gus Van Sant's Dead Man's Wire, starring the familiar but still somehow underrated Bill Skarsgård in a story based on a real-life case so wild and unbelievable that you might actually think Van Sant came up with it and claimed it was true, Coen Brothers-in-Fargo style. But I promise you, it's real and worthy of your attention. Depending on where you stand on movies like The Sea of Trees and Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot, Van Sant has either been hibernating or outright slacking. However, Dead Man's Wire is a fine return to the incisive, resonant filmmaking that made his '90s oeuvre such a must-watch.

'Dead Man's Wire' Is Based on a Wild, Real-Life Case

Dead Man's Wire stars Bill Skarsgård as Tony Kiritsis, a man living in Indianapolis who falls behind on the mortgage payments for a real estate property that he intends to develop into a shopping center. When his mortgage broker, M.L. Hall (Al Pacino), refuses to give him more time to pay, Kiritsis becomes convinced that Hall and his son, Richard "Dick" Hall (Dacre Montgomery), intend to take the property. Succumbing to desperation and in a state that can only be described as deluded, Kiritsis goes to the Halls' office, intending to meet M.L. Instead, Dick meets him, as M.L. is on vacation. Tony carries on his plan and holds Dick hostage, aiming the muzzle of a sawed-off shotgun at the back of Dick's head, while a wire connects the trigger to Dick's neck; if Dick tries to escape, or if someone takes Tony out from a distance, the wire will pull the trigger, killing Dick.

Using this crude but effective mechanism, Tony forces Dick out of his office and back to his apartment. Law enforcement, led by Detective Michael Grable (Cary Elwes), attempts to negotiate with Tony, whose demands are simple: he wants Meridian Mortgage to pay him $5 million for allegedly sabotaging his plans concerning the property, no charges pressed against him for the kidnapping, and, most importantly, he wants an apology from M.L. for betraying his trust. As the media gathers outside the apartment complex, Grable and other officers attempt to locate M.L. Meanwhile, Tony makes repeated calls to Fred Temple (Colman Domingo), a radio station DJ he listens to religiously, involuntarily involving him in the case.

Dead Man's Wire also stars Industry's Myha'la as Linda Page, an ambitious reporter who is first on the scene and uses the event to further her career. Daniel R. Hill stars as Tony's brother, Jimmy, while Kelly Lynch appears as Dick's wife, Mabel. The screenplay is by Austin Kolodney, who began writing it in 2020 and enlisted the help of documentarians Alan Berry and Mark Enochs, who were behind the 2018 documentary Dead Man's Line.

'Dead Man's Wire' Is a Showcase for Bill Skarsgård

Bill Skarsgård holding Dacre Montgomery at gunpoint in Dead Man's Wire

First and foremost, Dead Man's Wire is meant as a showcase for Bill Skarsgård, and the actor more than delivers. Those familiar with his work beyond the mainstream horror projects he's most famous for won't be surprised, but for anyone who's best acquainted with him for playing Pennywise, Dead Man's Wire will be a revelation. Tony is a singular character, too deluded to take seriously yet too unpredictable to ignore. Skarsgård plays him with tremendous empathy, which Van Sant very much shares. However, they don't bother themselves by excusing Tony; in fact, they don't seem particularly interested in making you understand him, either. Instead, they aim for something far simpler: they just want you to see Tony, and in the process, perhaps discover something about yourself and the way you see the world.

Skarsgård's greatest asset as an actor has always been his physicality, which he puts to excellent use here. His long limbs tremble with anxiety, too desperate to act without actually knowing what to do. His wide, manic eyes go from one place to another, not really noticing anything, his hunched back making him seem pitiful but never outright pathetic. Yet, Skarsgård remains a commanding presence, perhaps not menacing but still undeniably discomforting. Kiritsis was described as "psychotic" and "paranoid" during his trial, and Skarsgård perfectly captures that. He also embraces the absurdity inherent in the situation, adding a much-appreciated comedic edge to his work. As the plot progresses, whatever feeble grasp Tony has on the situation slips, allowing Skarsgård to go into full deluded mode. It's a striking performance that very clearly wants to echo Pacino's legendary work in Dog Day Afternoon, and while it doesn't reach those heights, it comes remarkably close.

If Skarsgård is the chaos of the storm, then Dacre Montgomery is the stillness before and after it. The actor, best known for his villainous work on Stranger Things, has the tough task of remaining subdued throughout the picture, both emotionally and physically; any outburst risks pulling the trigger. Montgomery's work isn't flashy, but there's a remarkable aspect to his meek, defeated work without which Dead Man's Wire wouldn't work.

In the supporting roles, neither Domingo nor Pacino gets much to do, but they both make the most out of their limited roles. Pacino is particularly effective in his brief antagonistic role, embodying the monolithic nature of the very same institutions that Tony blames for his predicament. Pacino delights in playing this wicked, cynical, unforgiving man, capitalism embodied, hiding behind a facade of fair play while a devout acolyte of the mighty dollar. As for Elwes and Myha'la, they have a couple of standout scenes, but their roles don't really amount to much. Indeed, this is Bill Skarsgård's show, and he makes the most out of it.

'Dead Man's Wire' Is Topical and Ultimately Impactful

Ever the observer of human nature, Van Sant's film feels like an extension of Tony Kiritisis himself, as the Oscar-nominated director adopts an urgent approach behind the camera, as if operating under a ticking clock. Considering Tony and Dick's ordeal lasts only a few days, and perhaps because the film's shooting took only 20 days, Dead Man's Wire feels as distressed and short of breath as its protagonist. Somewhat confusingly, Van Sant never lets the story fly off the rails, despite a central performance that's barely keeping it together. If there's one major flaw here, it's that Dead Man's Wire never allows itself to let its freak flag fly.

The production design is minimal, but it faithfully recreates 1977 through the type of muted, yellowish visuals we've come to expect from '70s movies. The settings are few — Dick's office, Tony's apartment, M.L.'s hotel room, the room where the FBI and the officers plot to contain the situation — making the characters feel trapped, not only in the situation, but more importantly, in a perpetual cycle of misguided choices that lead to inescapable mistakes. Perhaps that's Dead Man's Wire's biggest statement: life is a trap, and to escape it, we have to lead ourselves somehow.

In interviews, Van Sant has discussed the story's similarity to Luigi Mangione's case. At its core, Dead Man's Wire is a story about rebellion; it's not so much that it has a profound sympathy for Tony Kiritsis or antipathy for M.L. and Dick, so much as it has an unequivocal and moral opposition to the institutions that create men like them. The film sees these people as players in a game that's rigged, and everyone is using someone: Tony is using Dick, the media is using Tony, the cops are using Jimmy, and in the end, pretty much no one wins but the system that profits off Tony's desperation, Dick's suffering, M.L.'s ambition, and the world's willingness to turn a blind eye.

Ultimately, Dead Man's Wire doesn't reach the same heights as Gus Van Sant's greatest, largely because it operates on a small-scale approach that limits the impact that such an offbeat, unbelievable story could and should have. However, it's a worthwhile addition to his filmography and his best movie in ages, probably since 2008's Milk. Perhaps more importantly, it's also an effective condemnation of capitalism without ever falling into the typical eat-the-rich trappings that too often lessen the impact of these narratives. And with a delightfully gonzo performance from Bill Skarsgård that should've received some attention this awards season, Dead Man's Wire is a successful throwback to the classic crime stories that once dominated cinema.

Dead Man's Wire is now playing in theaters.

Dead Man's Wire

'Dead Man's Wire' is a welcome return for Gus Van Sant, thanks largely to a delightfully gonzo performance from Bill Skarsgård.

Release Date January 9, 2026

Pros & Cons

Bill Skarsgård delivers one of the best performances of his career, navigating Tony's delusion with an offbeat yet commanding approach.
Dacre Montgomery is the perfect foil to Skarsgård, with a subdued performance that keeps things grounded.
The film's message packs a punch, especially in its condemnation of the institutions that create men like Tony.
Al Pacino is perfect in the few scenes he has.