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Dead Man's Wire
2025 American drama film From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Dead Man's Wire is a 2025 American historical crime film directed by Gus Van Sant, written by Austin Kolodney, based on the true story of kidnapping by Tony Kiritsis in the 1970s. The film draws in part from the 2018 documentary Dead Man's Line, directed by Alan Berry and Mark Enochs, which explored the same events.[4] It stars Bill Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery, Colman Domingo, Myha'la, Cary Elwes, John Robinson, and Al Pacino.
The film had its world premiere out of competition in the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on September 2, 2025, and is scheduled to have a limited release on January 9, and expanded to January 16, 2026.[5]
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Premise
The film depicts the 1977 kidnapping by Tony Kiritsis of his bank mortgager, in which he requested hostage money and an apology.[6]
Cast
- Bill Skarsgård as Tony Kiritsis
- Dacre Montgomery as Richard Hall
- Colman Domingo as Fred Temple
- Myha'la as Linda Page
- Cary Elwes as Detective Michael Grable
- John Robinson
- Al Pacino as M.L. Hall
- Kelly Lynch
- Todd Gable as Chief Gallagher
- Mark Helms as Frank Love
- Michael Ashcraft as George Martz
- Neil Mulac as Agent Patrick Mullaney
- Daniel R. Hill as Jimmy Kiritsis
Production
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In March 2024, it was reported that the film was in development with Werner Herzog and Nicolas Cage attached to direct and star in the film, respectively.[7]
In December 2024, Gus Van Sant was reported to be the director, from a script by Austin Kolodney, with Bill Skarsgård and Dacre Montgomery leading the cast. It is produced by Elevated Films and Balcony 9 Productions.[8] Talking about his decision to make the film, Van Sant said: "When I read the script there were links embedded in it — you could click them and hear the real 911 calls. Tony talked so fast, like Scorsese on a cocaine bender, cracking jokes and losing his temper. I thought, ‘This is an amazing character. The story had this weird barnstormer energy ... The producer said, ‘We have to start shooting in Louisville in two months.’ That was the most appealing thing — just hitting the road."[9] Skarsgaard was someone Van Sant had wanted to work with for a long time; while Van Sant cast Montgomery off of his viral Stranger Things audition tape.[9]
In January 2025, Colman Domingo, Myha'la, Cary Elwes, and John Robinson joined the cast.[10][11] Domingo was cast after several actors had passed on the role; he was brought into the project by the producer Cassian Elwes.[9] In February 2025, Al Pacino joined the cast.[12]
Principal photography took place in Louisville, Kentucky, in January 2025.[13][14][15]
Release
The film had its world premiere out of competition in the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on September 2, 2025.[16][17] It was also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2025,[18][19] and will screen in the Special Presentations of the 61st Chicago International Film Festival on October 18, 2025.[20]
On September 9, 2025, Row K Entertainment acquired North American rights to the film and is scheduled to have a limited release on January 9, and expanded wide on January 16, 2026.[21][22]
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Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 30 critics' reviews are positive.[23] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 72 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[24]
Pete Hammond for Deadline writes that the film feels like "art imitating life both past and present" and cites Skarsgård's performance, calling it "completely convincing and dedicated."[25]
Accolades
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References
External links
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