Director: Gus Van Sant
Cast: Bill Skarsgard, Dacre Montgomery, Cary Elwes, Myha’la, Colman Domingo, Al Pacino
Screenplay: Austin Kolodney
105 mins. Rated R for language throughout.

True crime has been all the rage of the past decade, from podcasts made by amateur (or less than) sleuths to big and flashy streaming documentary series covering the wildest crimes committed in our world. The documentary series in particular can be quite nice to fall asleep to, but there’s still a home for true crime stories on the big screen, and director Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting) tackles a less talked about story with his new film, Dead Man’s Wire. Through festivals, the film has amassed a few ardent voices, and it’s finally hitting screens this January. While it won’t make much noise this awards season, Dead Man’s Wire has a solid but predictable central threat, but it’s surrounded by a few singularly unique elements and an all-around fantastic group of performers.

It’s 1977, and Tony Kiritsis (Bill Skarsgard, Nosferatu) strolls into his mortgage banker’s office and takes his son hostage, placing both men in a handmade dead man’s wire which, upon one wrong move, will kill hostage Dick Hall (Dacre Montgomery, Elvis). What does Kiritsis want? $5 million he believes he’s been wronged out of, and more than anything else, he wants Dick’s father M.L. Hall (Al Pacino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) to personally apologize for his supposedly faulty business practices.

At its core, this is a simple tale, and just looking at this man, Tony Kiritsis, and his hostage, one might wonder where the hook is. Gus Van Sant and screenwriter Austin Kolodney have expanded their focus to the exterior world around them, and that’s where the magic really is. Kiritsis has a fascination with a local DJ, played by Colman Domingo (Wicked: For Good) and Van Sant gives him time to make an interesting character who clashes tonally with Kiritsis but gives a pop of flavor to the tension. He also allows us to see the viewpoint of the reporters on the ground looking for the story. It’s nothing new to the genre, but these avenues, along with a solid visual representation of 1970s Indianapolis. I wish more time had been given to Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride), who is virtually unrecognizable with simple makeup effects as Detective Michael Grable, who gets involved early on, as Elwes shines in these types of supporting roles.

Van Sant captures the tone of 70s crime thrillers like Dog Day Afternoon well, and even with a lean story, the tale of Kiritsis is tragic and relevant to our current societal problems, and while there are a few stretches in the second act that could have used some tightening, the downright peculiar nature of Kiritsis (played up by an energetically strange Bill Skarsgard) and the flawed logic of his plight that work pretty well with the relatively short (by comparison) run time of the film. It’s not Van Sant’s best work by far, but he’s still executing his smaller scale story with more than enough style.

Dead Man’s Wire looks to breeze right by this awards season, but I think it’s still an effective potboiler with some solid performances and a more unique structure than its simple premise would bely. Skarsgard rarely gets the chance to shine without being covered in makeup, and he’s got a solid supporting cast uplifting him, from Domingo to Pacino but absolutely with Elwes. It’s a clean little movie, perhaps a little too light on impact, but solid direction from Van Sant and a solid pacing make this one worth checking out.

3.5/5
-Kyle A. Goethe