Dead Man's Wire (2025)
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2025-09 to 2026-08
A man desperate for justice takes a wealthy man hostage in a high-stakes standoff that captures national attention.
The story
On February 8, 1977, in Indianapolis, Tony Kiritsis arrives for a meeting with a wealthy mortgage broker. When he is met by the broker's son, Richard, Tony takes him hostage at gunpoint, rigging a shotgun to the man's neck as a 'dead man's switch.' Believing he was cheated out of profits from a land deal, Tony demands an apology and compensation. He seizes a police car and moves to his home, where he booby-traps the premises. As news of the standoff spreads, Tony makes demands known to the authorities and the public, while the police and local media become involved in the escalating standoff.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1977, Tony Kiritsis takes Richard Hall hostage in Indianapolis, rigging a shotgun to the man's neck to ensure his safety while he demands compensation for a failed land deal. The standoff escalates as the police, media, and eventually the FBI become involved. Tony makes a public plea via a local radio station, and the authorities eventually offer him a deal. During a televised press conference, Tony declares himself a national hero and signs documents for his demands. He is eventually arrested and later found not guilty by reason of insanity. The film concludes with a jump to years later where Tony and Richard cross paths at a bakery, and an epilogue detailing their subsequent lives: Tony spent years in a mental institution and was under investigation until his death in 2005, while Richard struggled with alcoholism and his company went bankrupt.
- First release year
- 2025
- Runtime (minutes)
- 106
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Gus Van Sant
- Writers
- Austin Kolodney · writer
- Cast and characters
- Bill Skarsgård · Kiritsis; Dacre Montgomery; Cary Elwes; Myha'la; Colman Domingo; Al Pacino
- Genres
- crime; thriller; drama; historical
- Themes
- desperation; justice; consequences of actions
- Tone and mood
- tense; intense
- Setting
- Indianapolis, 1977
- Premise and plot tags
- hostage_situation; based_on_true_events; crime_drama
- Source material / true-story basis
- The 1977 hostage standoff involving Tony Kiritsis
- Reception
- The film received generally favorable reviews from critics, though it was considered a box office disappointment.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 67 · scale: 100 · review count: 34
- Production trivia
- The script was based on a podcast episode.; The film was originally in development with Werner Herzog and Nicolas Cage.; The film was shot over 19 days in Louisville, Kentucky.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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