Dead Man's Wire: Movie Review

Cast: Bill Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery, Al Pacino, Colman Domingo, Myha'la
Director: Gus Van Sant

Aiming squarely at crowd-pleasing and the little guy taking on the big guy, Dead Man's Wire's tale of one man fighting back against the big banks is a simple heist story that's well told and excellently executed.

Skarsgård is Indianapolis man Tony Kiritsis, who after defaulting on his mortgage, heads to the downtown offices of the company with the sole intention of taking the owner (Al Pacino) hostage. However, when he discovers that the boss is away on an impromptu trip, he seizes the son Richard (Montgomery) and wires him up to a noose with a shotgun on the other side of it.

But after his demands for an apology, immunity and money break down, he ropes in the local voice of Indianapolis, DJ Fred Temple (an ever-magnetic Domingo) to help him achieve his goal.

Tapping into both the 1977 vibe and the heist ethos proves to be highly effective fare for Van Sant here, marking one of his most accessible films for years. It's bolstered by the fact Skarsgård disappears so completely into the role of Kiritsis, keeping him both nervy but also recognisable enough as the everyman driven to the edge by corporate greed.

As Van Sant walks the line between a retelling of these true-life events and creating a fictional and gripping story, he manages to ensure that loyalty lies largely with Kiritsis, whose nervy charisma and outright paranoia prove to be fertile ground for some playful moments.

Whether it's the grotesquerie of the spectacle appearing on live TV (footage of which is referenced at the end) or the moments where Richard's father cruelly dismisses the plight of his son as he mulls over the fact admitting guilt would be career suicide, there's a kind of timeliness that swathes much of Dead Man's Wire in a contemporary feel even though it's 50 years ago the events took place.

Coupled with the fact Skarsgård perfectly delivers a protagonist who even has the nerve to catch up with old colleagues while holding a shotgun to someone's head on live TV, Dead Man's Wire has the kind of incredulous flair you can't help falling for.

Dead Man's Wire is playing at the New Zealand International Film Festival - for screening times, visit nziff.co.nz