One of the most enchanting things about movies is that, depending on who’s behind the camera, a story can be told in countless different ways. ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Man’s Wire is a perfect example; what sounds like a very intense real-life story about a three-day-long hostage crisis actually plays out like a Saturday morning cartoon thanks to Gus Van Sant’s hilarious screenplay and high-speed direction.

The film centers around the true case of Anthony George Kiritsis, a vengeful client who took revenge on his exploitative loan company by kidnapping Richard O. Hall, the son of a wealthy mortgage broker. To do so, he used a “ᴅᴇᴀᴅ man’s wire”: a simple contraption that would set off the firearm if anything happened to Kiritsis, or if his victim tried to escape.

ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Man’s Wire wastes absolutely no time in setting up this concept, with Bill Skarsgård’s protagonist executing his plan in the first five minutes of the film. The rest of the film jumps back and forth between his gradually unraveling scheme and multiple outside characters, including an ambitious young journalist (Myha’la) and a charismatic radio DJ (Colman Domingo), who both find themselves roped into the case in hilariously unlikely ways.

ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Man’s Wire Is A Hilarious Crowd-Pleaser

Though ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Man’s Wire may not be as thought-provoking and socially charged as some of Van Sant’s previous works, it’s not necessarily trying to be. The film clearly just wants to have fun with this bizarre concept, and it succeeds wholeheartedly. The way everything unfolds in such a chaotic and erratic way is consistently fun to watch, and you’re never quite sure where things are going to go next.

Bill Skarsgård is clearly having a great time with this character, and his performance is the shining beacon of ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Man’s Wire. There’s a surprising amount of depth to the role, as he’s a very troubled man who’s clearly been wronged in the past, but Skarsgard also manages to draw the humor from the situation. It would also be a crime not to mention Colman Domingo, who steals the show with his minor supporting turn.

Perhaps what’s most impressive about ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Man’s Wire is just how drastically wrong this project could have gone without the pitch-perfect tone and pacing that Van Sant employs in his screenplay. Making a laughing matter out of a dangerous hostage situation requires a decent amount of empathy and sensitivity, and ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Man’s Wire has it in spades. The comedy serves to emphasize the absurdity of the situation, not just to laugh at it.

ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Man’s Wire Makes Attempts At Deeper Class Commentary

Although ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Man’s Wire doesn’t always feel like it has much to say beyond entertaining the audience and making them laugh, there are some clear attempts to give this story a sharper, more sociopolitical edge. Kiritsis’ crime is an inherently political one; he’s looking for revenge from the wealthy bankers whom he believes exploited his goodwill for financial gain.

Despite the high-octane pacing that characterizes much of the film, it’s in the quieter, more dialogue-driven scenes where this subtle commentary really shines. During the reflective conversations between Kiritsis and Hall in the former’s apartment, it soon becomes clear that ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Man’s Wire isn’t just a comedy — it’s the story of a man who’s pushed to the extreme because the social divide has already taken everything from him.

This certainly doesn’t make Kiritsis a likable figure, much less the unsung hero of the story, but it does give the audience a new lens through which to observe this unpredictable narrative. These introspective moments are ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Man’s Wire’s most interesting scenes, but they’re sidelined to make room for the action and comedy that audiences came for.

Ultimately, ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Man’s Wire succeeds as a comedy but often falters in its deeper social commentary. Though it lacks the critical bite that could make it one of Van Sant’s best, it sits comfortably among his most entertaining.