This film is based on a true story with the setting being a normal day in the 1970s. It is February 1977, and director Gus Van Sant takes us into the world of Dead Man’s Wire. It’s a true account where there are invigorating moving parts where one tries to prove a wrong doing, but will not do so until he feels his needs for vindictiveness are met. It comes around with humor and class—all of which has a dark comedy narrative. Vindictiveness gets ugly in Dead Man’s Wire, and as a fan of the previous works of Sant, he paints the portrait of how two wrongs do not make a right, and that on the other side consequences await.

The film’s main character is Tony Kiritsis, and he is played by Bill Skarsgard. He takes the risk of kidnapping Richard Hall, played by Dacre Montgomery. Richard is the president of the Meridian Mortgage Company. Tony feels his needs were not met and that the family who runs Meridian has done wrong him. This leads him to take a sawed-off shotgun and wire it to Richard. He then takes the hostage scenario to the next level. Soon Richard’s father M.L. Hall (Al Pacino) becomes involved, a detective named Michael Grable (Cary Elwes) and a radio host named Fred Temple (Colman Domingo) are involved as well. The clock ticks in the city of Indianapolis and the control of power is in the hands of Tony. Dead Man’s Wire is a true story combining politics with many moving emotions that come into figuring out a plan, and of course someone must pay.

The dynamic between Tony and Richard is where the film starts to boil in the pot.  As the media comes around the story, the question of who is going down the hardest keeps coming and going. Of course, Tony is the instigator, opening the door to how the Mortgage Company could have wronged others as well as himself.  In return, there is that writing convincing the audience that coming up with an agreement may save everyone. However, in the 1970’s the middle and upper classes do not always see eye-to-eye, especially with Pacino’s character on vacation as the hostage scenario is going on. Sant knows how to label the characters successes while also navigating the ones who are jealous of those above them in Dead Man’s Wire.

As the film has the moments of putting lives on the line, it also all comes down to curiosity and faith. How much will Tony gain? How much will Tony lose? Will there be ramifications? Where is the benefit for the authorities? The heightened news story of the hostage scenario creates a tornado of wonders for the city of Indianapolis in a very suspenseful setting. Sant brings gain with fame amongst images of criminality and the true story context making it feel like a revolver hitting the pavement hard. There is no easy way to explain the experience of the film. It is well-acted, but the motives in the writing seem to have moments of confusion that fall out of context more than they should.

The film is vibrant with its true story mode, however, the amount of repeated boredom with the hostage scenario is where the characterizations lose their amazement. But the continuity and the plot do have structure, especially with the cinematography. Overall, it is a steady thriller where the true story side works to remain faithful. Three out of four stars for Dead Man’s Wire.