Dead Man’s Wire Parent Guide

Most people are unhappy with their mortgage lender, but Tony Kiritsis (Bill Skarsgård) is angrier than your average borrower. He believes that Meridian Mortgage Company has deliberately destroyed his business, his credit, and his whole life, and to prove it, he’s marched into their office with a shotgun and a plan. 

Unfortunately for Tony, his intended target, company owner M.L. Hall (Al Pacino) is dodging him; in fact, he’s gone on a trip to Florida to avoid their scheduled meeting. It’s Hall’s son, Richard (Dacre Montgomery), who winds up strapped to Tony’s shotgun.

Tony’s plan is simple: He has a wire running from the shotgun’s trigger around Richard’s neck, and around his own. If Richard runs, if anybody tries to pull them apart, if someone tries to take the gun, if Tony is shot by the police, the gun will go off directly into Richard’s head. In return for not thus removing Richard’s head, Tony has some demands. He wants a public apology from M.L. Hall, he wants immunity from criminal prosecution, and he wants his debt erased as well as five million dollars in compensation. And while he waits for those simple favors, he’s brought Richard back to his apartment, which he’s wired with explosives.

Based on an insane true story from 1977, Dead Man’s Wire is a wild ride. The script gives you a lot of leeway in interpreting Tony’s claims. Is he justifiably furious with a company (and a man) who have lied to his face before slipping around to stab him in the back? Is he an aggrieved perpetual victim, unable to take responsibility for his own failures and lashing out? Even if his claims are valid, the film makes it pretty clear that his response isn’t. The tale is humanizing, but it is also unforgiving. 

Family audiences might want to take a miss on this one – and not (surprisingly) for violence which is largely limited to fearsome threats. Although Tony isn’t busy shooting up the screen, he is swearing up a blue streak the length of Indianapolis – and his comments on national television and local radio are similarly profane. The movie averages nearly an f-bomb per minute, in addition to other profanity. 

I often judge movies by how many times I check my watch. Bad pacing, a bloated runtime, and other general frustrations will increase the frequency. It should be indicative that I only checked once. Dead Man’s Wire is gripping. A heavy-hitting cast and a crazy script make this an entertaining, darkly funny thriller, and one well worth checking out for older genre fans with a tolerance for cussing. 

About author

Keith Hawkes

Keith Hawkes graduated from Mount Royal University, Calgary, Canada with a degree in English and History. His interests are movies, American literature, science fiction, almost every kind of music, and museums. He enjoys criticizing films for fun - although he's okay with being paid for it.