US EditionDean's A-List Interview: 'Dead Man's Wire' Director Gus Van Sant
The film highlights the 1977 hostage crisis as a story of economic injustice and media exploitation, with Kiritsis demanding $5 million and an apology, reflecting public sympathy at the time.
- Director Gus Van Sant turned Tony Kiritsis' hostage case into the film Dead Man's Wire, starring Bill Skarsgård and released by Row K Entertainment.
- Kiritsis felt aggrieved by Meridian Mortgage Company over a blocked land deal, seizing executive Dick Hall and demanding $5 million and an apology.
- By wiring the gun to his hostage, Kiritsis held a sawed-off shotgun to the back of Dick Hall's head with a wired loop around his neck, making any movement fatal as the standoff moved to Kiritsis's apartment and ended in a live televised news conference.
- Reviewers flagged the film's media critique when Gus Van Sant and screenwriter Austin Kolodney frame the story as a drama of outrage and inequality, despite simplifications.
- Renewed interest from a recent podcast dramatization starring Jon Hamm and Gus Van Sant's return after seven years add immediacy, while reviewers link Al Pacino's role to Dog Day Afternoon's contemporary echoes.
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'Dead Man's Wire': Movie of Indianapolis Kiritsis hostage drama to premiere
(WXIN/WTTV) — A film depicting the 1977 63-hour-long Tony Kiritsis hostage drama that captivated Indianapolis TV viewers and a nationwide audience will premiere Friday in Los Angeles and New York. Gus Van Zant’s movie “Dead Man’s Wire” starring Bill Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery and Al Pacino will have a nationwide release a week later. A pair [...]
Los Angeles Times
arcamax.comReview: 'Dead Man's Wire' faithfully recreates a TV hostage standoff but avoids the messy why
Gus Van Sant continues the mass-media-meets-violence conversation of 'To Die For,' but doesn't have much to say about this true-life gunman who blasted his rage on the news.
Associated Press News
Movie Review: A real-life '70s hostage drama crackles in Gus Van Sant's 'Dead Man's Wire'
It plays a little loose with facts but the righteous rage of “Dog Day Afternoon” is present enough in Gus Van Sant’s “Dead Man’s Wire.”
VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: Cary Elwes On Working With Gus Van Sant On ‘Dead Man’s Wire’
Veteran actor Cary Elwes, best known as the star of The Princess Bride, reflected on working with iconic director Gus Van Sant on his new film, Dead Man’s Wire. “He’s very nurturing and very soft-spoken,” Elews told uInterview founder Erik Meers. “Nothing stresses him, and therefore, he creates an environment that’s very conducive to creativity. And he really supports actors; he loves actors. Obviously, you look at all the actors who’ve worked w…
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