Trailer released for Van Sant’s crime thriller

Row K Entertainment released the trailer for Gus Van Sant's crime thriller "Dead Man's Wire" on October 27, marking the acclaimed director's return to feature filmmaking after a seven-year hiatus. The film stars Bill Skarsgård as Tony Kiritsis, the real-life Indianapolis man who captivated the nation in 1977 when he kidnapped his mortgage broker and wired a shotgun to his head.darkhorizons+1

Festival Success Builds Oscar Buzz

The film has garnered exceptional critical reception since its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival in September, earning a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 72/100 score on Metacritic. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Skarsgård delivers his "strongest work to date" in Van Sant's "stylish and gripping '70s throwback".darkhorizons+2

"Dead Man's Wire" also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it received its North American premiere. The film follows Kiritsis, who felt wronged by his mortgage company over a failed real estate deal and took company president Richard Hall hostage for 63 hours using a makeshift "dead man's wire" contraption.wikipedia+2

Star-Studded Cast and Release Strategy

The ensemble cast includes Dacre Montgomery as hostage Richard Hall, Al Pacino as the mortgage company owner, and Colman Domingo as local radio host Fred Temple who becomes entangled in the media circus. Van Sant told Variety that when he first read Austin Kolodney's script, "Tony talked so fast, like Scorsese on a cocaine bender, cracking jokes and losing his temper. I thought, 'This is an amazing character'".darkhorizons+3

Row K Entertainment has scheduled an Oscar-qualifying run beginning December 12, followed by a limited theatrical release on January 9, 2026, and wide release on January 16. The film marks Van Sant's first feature since 2018's "Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot," with critics noting its stylistic echoes of Sidney Lumet's 1970s thrillers, particularly "Dog Day Afternoon".instagram+4