Critic's Notebook

Stefania Rosini

Though premiering out of competition at Venice International Film Festival, Gus Van Sant’s “Dead Man’s Wire” is a contender to be the breakout among this year’s official selections. Based on the true story of perhaps the Luigi Mangione of his time, the film is very much reflective of the national mood at the moment – unlike Spike Lee’s “Highest 2 Lowest.”

On the morning of Feb. 8, 1977, Tony Kiritsis (Bill Skarsgård) shows up at the Meridan Mortgage Company in Indianapolis for his appointment with M.L. Hall (Al Pacino), who has ditched the meeting for Florida. Instead, M.L.’s son Dick Hall (Dacre Montgomery) takes over. Tony carries a long, corrugated box, which seems totally sus. And indeed, inside it is a sawed-off 12-guage shotgun. He straps the trigger to his own neck, so that it’ll be pulled if anything happens to him. With that, he successfully circumvents responding cops and takes Dick hostage in broad daylight.

After transporting Dick to his booby-trapped apartment, Tony begins negotiating terms for the unfortunate son’s release: immunity from charges, $5 million compensation and an apology. He is convinced that Meridan, which services his loan, has deliberately sabotaged deals on his proposed shopping center.

This is one of the rare kidnapping movies that actually addresses the hostage’s need for bathroom breaks. Austin Kolodney’s screenplay provides no context before Tony sets his plans in motion. We don’t have all the facts, yet we are inclined to side with Tony even if he appears to be unstable to a degree. Mr. Skarsgård certainly keeps his character’s mental state ambiguous, suppressing the neurosis and amplifying the childish naivety.

While Tony isn’t going about retribution in a socially acceptable way, he certainly seems to be on to something. During negotiations, M.L. refuses to play along even with his son’s life on the line. As the curmudgeonly owner of Meridan, Mr. Pacino absolutely kills it. His performance is chilling enough to trigger P.T.S.D. in anyone who has had the misfortune of dealing with someone this callous.

Fred Heckman (Colman Domingo), Tony’s favorite radio host, is looped in to assist with the negotiations. This creates the opportunity for a banging R&B soundtrack that includes Roberta Flack and Barry White. These songs lift the disposition significantly, such that the film transcends the traditional thriller or noir.

F.B.I. profiler Patrick Mullaney (Neil Mulac) presciently deciphers Tony’s motivations – what he actually seeks is respect. Indeed, he nails precisely what makes the film so resonant with those who have been wronged by powerful entities and the sense of helplessness carved deep into their psyches. One supposes this is what a Coen brothers movie may feel like were they ever to empathize with their wretched crooks.