Dead Man's Wire

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Dead Man's Wire

R

In Theaters Jan 9

1h 45m

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

98%

Tomatometer

54 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Verified Ratings

On February 8, 1977, Tony Kiritsis entered the office of Richard Hall, president of the Meridian Mortgage Company, and took him hostage with a sawed-off shotgun wired with a "dead man's wire" from the trigger to Tony's own neck.

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Critics Consensus

Brilliantly offbeat and tinged with a darkly humorous edge, Dead Man's Wire is brought to life by Bill Skarsgård's fearless performance, authentic period flavor, and anti-capitalist fervor.

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Gus Van Sant

Director

Bill Skarsgård

Tony Kiritsis

Al Pacino

M.L. Hall

Colman Domingo

Fred Temple

Dacre Montgomery

Richard 'Dick' Hall

Cary Elwes

Michael Grable

William Bibbiani

TheWrap

Dec 13

[Bill] Skarsgård is a captivating chaos gremlin, and Montgomery is — in an easily overlooked, but absolutely vital role — an exceptional foil.

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Katie Rife

IndieWire

Dec 9

B-

Accompanied by Danny Elfman’s jazzy score, the [opening] sequence feels genuinely dangerous... On the whole, however, “Dead Man’s Wire” has trouble maintaining suspense beyond that breathtaking opener.

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Robbie Collin

Daily Telegraph (UK)

Dec 9

4/5

There’s a subtle, astute parable here about the media’s role in the shaping and streamlining of public morality – happily wrapped in a romp.

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John Stark

Mac the Movie Guy

Dec 19

73/100

Bill Skarsgard is a revelation in one of the most relevant films of 2025. A powerhouse performance worthy of your time.

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Cole Groth

FandomWire

Dec 18

8/10

Skarsgård infuses Tony with so much humanity and humor that you can’t help but root for him.

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Abbie Bernstein

Assignment X

Dec 15

B+

We believe the incredible events of this crime dramedy because the filmmakers are so good at providing the rueful, lifelike sense that sometimes you just can’t make this stuff up.

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Ghederick Eshmont

Dec 15

A pantheon film of true crime drama, Gus Van Sant crafts an immaculate portrait

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Bill E.

@BillEAZ7448 1d

Similar in style to the 70s crime films like Dog Day Afternoon. While it is suspenseful, it doesn’t keep one’s interest all the way through. I started nodding off toward the last quarter of the film. Good acting, but story went on a little too long.

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Ray C

Dec 20

Bill Skarsgård really stands out in this unorthodox thriller with a touch of dark humor. The set design also did a great job capturing a ’70s feel.

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Austin K.

Dec 17

In Gus We Trust. A star for each year I worked on it.

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Moody C

@MoodyC Dec 16

Other than 70s feel, this is just a boring movie that starts out with potential and like it’s going to be robbery but ends up as a boring hostage situation at his apartment. They had that song from Butch Cassidy at the end, how original. Some archival footage towards end along with subtext indicates it’s a true story but it’s not compelling enough to be made into a film and if this happens today, guy will be brought down instantly.

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Synopsis

On February 8, 1977, Tony Kiritsis entered the office of Richard Hall, president of the Meridian Mortgage Company, and took him hostage with a sawed-off shotgun wired with a "dead man's wire" from the trigger to Tony's own neck.

Director: Gus Van Sant
Producer: Noor Alfallah, Remi Alfallah, Mark Amin, Andrea Bucko, Gordon Clark, Tom Culliver, Cassian Elwes, Billy Hines
Screenwriter: Austin Kolodney
Distributor: Row K Entertainment
Production Co: Pressman Film, Elevated Films (II)
Rating: R (Language Throughout)
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 9, 2026, Limited
Runtime: 1h 45m