Dead Man’s Wire

Directed by Gus Van Sant

United States

2025

105 mins

Unclassified 15+

Gus Van Sant (Milk) directs Bill Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery and Al Pacino in this thrilling, true account of a 1977 hostage standoff. Venice 2025.

In February 1977, Indiana property developer Tony Kiritsis tied a shotgun trigger wire around the neck of mortgage broker Richard Hall (Dacre Montgomery, Stranger Things). Claiming to have been betrayed in a land deal, Kiritsis held Hall hostage in his grungy apartment while a media circus formed outside. Interrogating social and economic issues that are even more relevant and corrosive today, this pulsating thriller stars an electrifying Bill Skarsgård (Nosferatu) as the suddenly famous little guy who feels his American Dream has been stolen by morally bankrupt elites. Al Pacino brings the spirit of his American Spectacle hostage classic Dog Day Afternoon with him in a memorable role as Hall’s calculating father.

“Unabashedly inspired by the best crime dramas from the 1970s, including Dog Day Afternoon, The Sugarland Express, Network, and Badlands, and can stand proudly alongside them.”

Matt Zoller Seitz, RogerEbert.com

“It’s Van Sant’s most vital piece of work for the big screen in some time.”

Owen Gleiberman, Variety

“Terrific chutzpah, black-comic flair and cool, cruel unsentimentality … it’s a gripping picture with excellent performances.”

Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

“Unabashedly inspired by the best crime dramas from the 1970s, including Dog Day Afternoon, The Sugarland Express, Network, and Badlands, and can stand proudly alongside them.”

Matt Zoller Seitz, RogerEbert.com

Tickets

Tue 9 June 2026, 6:30pm

Past Event

Ritz Cinemas Randwick - Cinema 1

Ritz Randwick - Cinema 1

Thu 11 June 2026, 6:30pm

Past Event

Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace - Cinema 5

Hayden Orpheum - Cinema 5

Fri 12 June 2026, 3pm

Past Event

State Theatre

See more, save more with a Flexipass or Youth Pass

Program Strand
Special Presentations
Year
2025
Classification
Unclassified 15+
Country
USA
Language
In English
Director
Gus Van Sant
Producer
Cassian Elwes, Mark Amin, Sam Pressman, Tom Culliver, Andrea Bucko, Billy Hines, Veronica Radaelli, Matt Murphie, Paula Paizes, Joel David Moore, Remi Alfallah, Noor Alfallah, Sienna Oberman, Gordon Clark
Cast
Bill Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery, Al Pacino
Screenwriter
Austin Kolodney
Cinematographer
Arnaud Potier
Editor
Saar Klein
Composer
Danny Elfman
Genre
Biography, Thriller & Crime
Premiere
Australian Premiere
Company Credits
Australian Distributor: Madman Entertainment

Sydney Film Festival acknowledges Australia’s First Nations People as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land, and pay respect to the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, upon whose Country SFF is based.

We honour the storytelling and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia.

Don’t miss a thing!

Whether you’re in Sydney or one of our rural locations, sign up to our newsletters for all the latest news and offers.

SFF

About

Support

General Enquiries

Ticketing Enquiries

Office Hours

MONDAY – FRIDAY: 9AM – 5PM AEDT

Discover