February 1977. A disgruntled Indianapolis man entered the office of the president of a mortgage company and took him hostage with a shotgun wired with a "dead man's wire" from the trigger to his own neck.
This absolutely terrible plan and all the absurdities that ensued over 63 hours and under the full flare of national news coverage, are captured with terrific gusto in this tragicomic thriller. Bill Skarsgård plays the disgruntled assailant (Tony Kiritsis) demanding an apology and millions of dollars in compensation, whilst Al Pacino plays the father of the captive Richard Hall (Dacre Montgomery). This is another perceptive state-of-the-nation movie from indie auteur Gus Van Sant to add to ‘Elephant’ (2003) and Milk (2008), sharing their preoccupation with guns as a manifestation of American ambition and dysfunction. Beyond the guilty laughs and authentically beige ’70s period detail, there is an offbeat anti-capitalist folk tale here that will strike a chord in the current moment.
USA 2025 Gus Van Sant 105m
