#TIFF25: “DEAD MAN’S WIRE”

By Amanda Gilmore

Director Gus Van Sant returns to telling stories about real world events with this unbelievable true crime story. Dead Man’s Wire recreates the fascinating true story of the 1977 kidnapping that made aspiring Indianapolis entrepreneur Tony Kiritsis (Bill Skarsgård) into an eccentric outlaw folk hero.

Tony feels swindled by Meridian Mortgage Company. A company he partnered with to open a local shopping centre. After years of hollow meetings, Tony’s had enough. So, he takes Meridian Mortgage Company president Richard Hall (Dacre Montgomery), who happens to be the Meridian founder’s son, hostage. He refuses to let him go unless he gets a public apology and his money back.

Van Sant transports us into 70s Indianapolis. The grainy cinematography, soundtrack, and costume design make us time-travel. It’s a time before social media. When primetime news anchors and radio jockeys were household names.

Dead Man’s Wire is a retelling of this strange kidnapping. Van Sant and Screenwriter Austin Kolodney don’t want to tell you how to feel. Instead, they give you the facts. This allows us to decide for ourselves if we judge Tony or the privileged elite. Tony became an outlaw folk hero for some in ’77 for what he did. How he stood up for himself against the corporate elite. Here, the filmmakers allow us to see him similarly, but also for his faults.

At the centre of this outstanding crime thriller is Skarsgård, who has easily given one of his finest performances. He’s a bucket full of charisma that allows us to empathize with Tony just as the citizens in Indianapolis did during those 3 days in ’77. There is an outstanding supporting performance from Coleman Domingo, who plays a pivotal role as a radio disc jockey who gets pulled into Tony’s negotiations.

Dead Man’s Wire screens at TIFF ’25:

Sun. Sept 7 at 12:00 PM at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales

Mon. Sept 8 at 3:30 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Thurs. Sept 11 at 12:30 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Sun. Sept 14 at 6:50 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto