Dead Man's Wire

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Dead Man's Wire

R

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1h 45m

Crime

Drama

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Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

136 Reviews

77%

Popcornmeter

250+ Verified Ratings

On Feb. 8, 1977, disgruntled real-estate developer Tony Kiritsis takes mortgage broker Richard Hall hostage, keeping him tied up in his apartment with a sawed-off shotgun pointed at his chest.

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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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Thelma Adams

AARP Movies for Grownups

Jan 17

4/5

Suspenseful, entertaining and swift, the hostage caper revels in the 1970s Indianapolis setting, recalling the 1975 classic Dog Day Afternoon.

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Adam Nayman

Toronto Star

Jan 15

3/4

If “Dead Man’s Wire” feels more like a modest triumph of engineering than a major artistic statement, there’s still plenty of virtue in seeing a job well done.

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Saffron Maeve

Globe and Mail

Jan 14

The intensity of the situation and Tony’s capacity to pull the trigger are unconvincing; Skarsgard’s looks are the only thing that can kill.

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Nicholas Brooks

CBR

Jan 29

8/10

Dead Man’s Wire isn’t a conventional crime thriller, largely because the true story behind it is so unusual, but it’s the cast that truly elevates the material.

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John Paul King

Washington Blade

Jan 29

Coupled with cinematographer Arnaud Potier’s studied emulation of gritty ‘70s cinema and the director’s knack for inventive visual storytelling, results in a solid, intelligent, and darkly humorous thriller

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Frank Swietek

One Guy's Opinion

Jan 28

B

An engaging recreation of a truly strange episode in American criminal and broadcast history...though it’s a bit anonymous from the perspective of [Van Sant's] best work, it’s still mightily enjoyable.

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Mary E B

Feb 9

Interesting movie based on a true story - the acting and cinematography were spot on. I could recommend this movie to just about anyone with a brain and some intellectual curiosity.

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Naimah

Jan 28

this movie was a chaotic messy delight

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Ruslan L

Jan 26

Great storytelling and wonderful performances by both Bill Skarsgard and Darce Montgomery. Based on a true story set in the late 1970’s in Indianapolis. Gus Van Sant captured that time really perfectly with period wardrobe, hairstyles and even cars.

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Brian

Jan 24

Compelling film, with a lot of humor

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Stuart C

Jan 23

A little slow but it's a true story so I'll give it some credit

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Robert C

Jan 23

Interesting movie based on true events. It was ok and kept me interested. But it didn’t seem much different from other tragic crime events that have been televised and made into movies. Mainly a single plot story with mediocre filming.

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Gus Van Sant

Director

Bill Skarsgård

Tony Kiritsis

Dacre Montgomery

Richard Hall

Colman Domingo

Fred Temple

Al Pacino

M.L. Hall

Myha'la Herrold

Linda Page

Dead Man's Wire: Movie Clip - Getting Started

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Dead Man's Wire: Movie Clip - Open With That

0:48

Dead Man's Wire: Exclusive Movie Clip - Power

1:23

Dead Man's Wire: Movie Clip - Hands

1:04

Dead Man's Wire: Movie Clip - Apologize

1:00

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Dead Man's Wire: Exclusive - Fight

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Dead Man's Wire: Teaser Trailer

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Synopsis

On Feb. 8, 1977, disgruntled real-estate developer Tony Kiritsis takes mortgage broker Richard Hall hostage, keeping him tied up in his apartment with a sawed-off shotgun pointed at his chest.

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: Elevated Films, Balcony 9 Productions, Pressman Film
Rating: R (Language Throughout)
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 16, 2026, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 24, 2026
Runtime: 1h 45m

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