DEAD MAN’S WIRE Red Carpet Premieres

Gus Van Sant returns with the incredible true story of an infamous 1977 kidnapping and ransom over a business deal gone bad, with the kidnapper (Bill Skarsgård) demanding restitution and an apology from the mortgage broker (Dacre Montgomery) whose company ripped him off. Skarsgård plays Tony Kiritsis, a would-be Indianapolis real estate developer, who has fallen behind on the payments for a plot of land he had hoped to lease to a supermarket chain. Suspecting the mortgage company run by M.L. Hall (Al Pacino) and his son Richard (Montgomery) of treachery — that they’ve secretly worked to scuttle Tony’s deal, repossess the land, and make the deal for themselves — Tony kidnaps Richard, wires a shotgun to the back of his head, and makes his demands: $5 million, immunity from prosecution, and a public apology from M.L. Frenetically amped up and paranoid, Tony trusts no one, save for his favorite radio DJ, Fred Temple (Colman Domingo), who becomes his interlocutor and part of the hostage negotiation team. This ‘70s-set true crime story recalls the very best of the genre for its potent blend of high stakes tension and political subtext — most notably, DOG DAY AFTERNOON — with striking resonance for our own times. The excellent ensemble cast includes Myha’la, Cary Elwes, John Robinson and Kelly Lynch. –Todd Hitchcock