Rent Dead Man's Wire on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Austin Kolodney
Directed by: Gus Van Sant
Starring: Bill Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery, Al Pacino, Colman Domingo, Myha'la, Cary Elwes
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
On February 8, 1977, Tony Kiritsis entered the office of Dick Hall, president of the Meridian Mortgage Company, and took him hostage with a sawed-off shotgun and a "dead man's wire" from the trigger to Tony's own neck.
Verdict
This has a frenetic energy from the beginning. Does Tony have a legitimate grievance or is he deranged? His response isn't rationale, but he has an elaborate plan as a means to get the justice he seeks. Initially wondering the why, we begin to wonder how this will end. The cops have to be playing him, but if his hostage Dick attempts an escape things could break down quickly. It's no surprise Tony is arrested, but what happens after is even more surprising. That's all the more intriguing as this is based on a true story.
It depends.
Review
This approaches the story by treating the audience like outsiders. There's not much context. We don't know what's happened to Tony Kiritsis (Bill Skarsgård), and from the onset we're against him. Throughout the movie, it's revealed what he perceived as a slight. All we have is Tony's word, and he's not acting like a sane person.
Tony's plan is to take the president of the bank, M.L. Hall (Al Pacino) hostage. When he discovers the big boss has skipped out on their appointment to go on vacation, he takes the manager, son Dick (Dacre Montgomery), hostage instead. Dick acknowledges issues Tony had with the bank. Tony wants to make his grievances public as a means of justice. It's unclear what he has planned, but he's holding a man hostage. Dick is tied to the shotgun and that's tied to Tony.
 |
| Bill Skarsgård plays Tony Kiritsis |
The cops follow Tony and Dick out of the building, but they keep their distance as the two can't be separated. They take Dick's car as Tony's is having trouble, of all the days. A reporter in the area starts recording. Part of this mystery is why Tony is doing this. He's not seeking a peaceful resolution, Tony is making a statement. It's easy to believe the bank wronged him somehow. M.L. is dismissive of the situation, despite the fact that his son is captive, which makes us like Tony more.
Then there's the question of whether Dick will try to escape. Tony isn't someone you can reason with, but they do have a moment where they connect as they talk about their childhoods.
Tony has reached a point where he's fed up and at the end of his rope. This isn't a rationale response, but he's clearly past rationale actions. Tony alleges he had prime real estate and the bank ran around him so they could make the profit on another parcel, failing to show Tony's property to buyers.
 |
| Dacre Montgomery, Bill Skarsgård plays Dick Hall, Tony Kiritsis |
Tony has a list of demands to which the company agrees to meet. We know part of that is show. They want to placate him to end this situation. Even Tony's favorite radio DJ gets roped into this. Tony just wants someone to listen to him. Tony bounces between outrage at the mistreatment from the bank and elation that the radio aired his call. When the Halls apologize and he's given what he considers a fair share, he releases Dick and is then arrested. It seems like he had no idea how serious the situation was.
A quick epilogue provides the verdict in Tony's case. We only see the judgement, this doesn't cover the trial. I wonder if Tony thought justice was served after all was said and done.
SPOILERS
No comments :
Post a Comment