Shadows on the Wall | Dead Man's Wire

Dead Man’s Wire

dir Gus Van Sant; scr Austin Kolodney
prd Cassian Elwes, Joel David Moore, Mark Amin, Sam Pressman, Tom Culliver, Matt Murphie
with Bill Skarsgard, Dacre Montgomery, Colman Domingo, Al Pacino, Cary Elwes, Myha'la, Kelly Lynch, John Robinson, Vinh Nguyen, Mark Helms, Todd Gable, Michael Ashcraft
release US 16.Jan.26
25/US 1h45

VENCIE FILM FEST
TORONTO FILM FEST

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Based on a true story, this quietly taut thriller unfolds in a way that's almost terrifyingly unpredictable, largely because it feels so real. Filling the screen with clever period touches, director Gus Van Sant never pushes the punchy themes, grounding the story in a specific time and place that gurgles with unnerving present-day parallels. Amusing real-life touches continually highlight that these are normal people in extraordinary circumstances.

In 1977 Indianapolis, Tony (Skarsgard) arrives for an appointment with mortgage boss ML Hall (Pacino), but instead meets his son Dick (Montgomery). Fed up with waiting more than four years for his loan, Tony wires a shotgun to his own neck, pointed at Dick. Detective Michael (Elwes) knows Tony and tries to talk him down. Incidentally on the scene, TV journalist Linda (Myha'la) begins filming, hoping this will finally earn her more respect at work. They all follow Tony and Michael back to Tony's apartment for a three-day standoff, as the entire nation watches.

These events are also broadcast on DJ Fred's (Domingo) groovy radio show, which Tony phones into. He wants the whole city to see what a crook ML is; his only demand is for a formal apology and financial compensation for what he lost. The police and FBI are frustrated by his anger and frustration, and annoyed that he will only talk to either Fred or ML. They sit in private discussing what they can do to solve this, while outside the media seek their own exclusives.

Skarsgard is excellent as this everyman, a simple but smart guy who catches the public's imagination because of how he has been swindled. It's a sympathetic performance that reflects Tony's desperation. Montgomery gives Dick a superbly engaging steeliness that only cracks when he speaks to his blustery father. Myha'la makes the most of her role as a woman breaking through her own unjust barriers. And both Pacino and Domingo offer scene-stealing turns as powerful men caught in something they'd rather avoid.

Van Sant cleverly mixes doc-style archival footage with more intimate scenes that use honest conversations to cut through the intensity of the situation. And in Fred's callers, the film taps into what makes this story so easy to connect with, reflecting the way the average person feels so heavily weighed down by the untrustworthy people who control the world. This is a strikingly well-made film that's thoroughly entertaining, especially because it so skilfully touches a nerve.

themes, language, violence 19.Nov.25

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