Archive · 8 Jan 2026
Dead Man’s Wire Review: A Hostage Thriller
Dead Man’s Wire is a movie about a real-life hostage situation that happened in 1977.
A man named Tony Kiritsis took a bank executive hostage and demanded money and an apology.
The movie shows how Tony felt wronged by the bank and his desperate actions.
It stars Bill Skarsgård as Tony and also features actors like Colman Domingo and Al Pacino.
The film is directed by Gus Van Sant and tries to show the anger and unfairness Tony felt.
It’s a bit like an older movie called Dog Day Afternoon, which is also about a hostage situation.
The movie is rated R and runs for 105 minutes.
It got a good rating of 3 out of 4 stars.
Dead Man’s Wire is a hostage thriller based on the 1977 Tony Kiritsis crisis, directed by Gus Van Sant.
Bill Skarsgård stars as Tony Kiritsis, a man who took a bank executive hostage demanding $5 million and an apology.
The film explores themes of outrage and inequality, with Tony's actions driven by a sense of injustice.
Colman Domingo and Al Pacino also star, with Pacino's role nodding to the classic film Dog Day Afternoon.
The movie is rated R and has a runtime of 105 minutes, receiving a rating of 3 out of 4 stars.
- Who
- Gus Van Sant (director), Bill Skarsgård (lead actor), Colman Domingo, Dacre Montgomery, Al Pacino
- What
- A hostage thriller film based on the 1977 Tony Kiritsis hostage crisis
- When
- February 1977 (events), 2024 (film release)
- Where
- Indianapolis, USA (events), Film industry (release)
- Why
- To dramatize the hostage crisis and explore themes of outrage and inequality
- Movie Title
- Dead Man’s Wire
- Director
- Gus Van Sant
- Lead Actor
- Bill Skarsgård
- Release Year
- 2024
- Rating
- R
- Runtime
- 105 minutes
- Rating Score
- 3 out of 4 stars
- Based On
- True events of Tony Kiritsis hostage crisis in 1977