Overview
A tense hostage situation spirals into dark comedy as desperation and absurdity collide.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- tense
- darkly comic
- paranoid
- true crime night
- serious movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the fact-based hostage drama compelling for Bill Skarsgård's dedicated lead performance and its resonant portrait of institutional grievance, though its commercial performance was weak.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The plot recreates Tony Kiritsis's 1977 kidnapping and standoff in Indianapolis.
Tony blames Meridian Mortgage for his financial ruin and demands compensation and an apology.
Tony's armed abduction and demands turn a mortgage dispute into a highly visible standoff.
The sawed-off shotgun is wired from the trigger to Tony's neck, binding hostage and captor together.
Films like Dead Man's Wire, and why
Dog Day Afternoon
fact-based hostage thriller centered on a volatile standoff and institutional conflict
Bernie
darkly comic crime drama about an aggrieved outsider confronting powerful institutions
I, Tonya
stylized true-crime drama examining public spectacle, media attention, and disputed justice
The Negotiator
tense hostage negotiation thriller with moral ambiguity and escalating pressure
Movie Details
- Director
- Gus Van Sant
- Release Date
- 2026-01-09
- Runtime
- 106 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (227)
Cast
- Bill Skarsgård
- Dacre Montgomery
- Cary Elwes
- Myha'la
- Kelly Lynch
- John Robinson
- Vinh Nguyen
- Mark Helms
- Todd Gable
- Michael Ashcraft
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Dead Man's Wire about?
- A financially ruined borrower turns a mortgage dispute into a deadly 1977 Indianapolis hostage standoff, forcing institutions and the public to confront his desperate claim for justice.
- What is Dead Man's Wire like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Dead Man's Wire as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Dead Man's Wire violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Dead Man's Wire as moderate.
- What did critics think of Dead Man's Wire?
- Critics broadly found the fact-based hostage drama compelling for Bill Skarsgård's dedicated lead performance and its resonant portrait of institutional grievance, though its commercial performance was weak.
- Which films are like Dead Man's Wire?
- Films with a similar feel include Dog Day Afternoon, Bernie, I, Tonya, and The Negotiator.
- How long is Dead Man's Wire?
- Dead Man's Wire runs 106 minutes.
- Where can I watch Dead Man's Wire?
- In United States, Dead Man's Wire streams on Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads.
