Nate At The Movies

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS.

I’m not sure whether to consider Dead Man’s Wire a 2026 release due of its theatrical release date or a 2025 release because of its festival run, but if it ends up settling on my 2026 list, it’ll be the first good January movie in a while. I expected that, since it’s had time to cook in the festivals, but I was delighted to go to the theater for a good movie in the calendar’s most notorious Dump Month.

It was evident from the trailers that this movie’s calling card was going to be its insane-but-true story and Bill Skarsgård in the lead role, and those two aspects were firing on all cylinders throughout. Skarsgård in particular was astounding as Tony, bringing his signature off-kilter energy to the character and stealing every single scene he was in. Skarsgård was easily one of the most suave, calculated ticking time bombs brought to the screen that I’ve seen, and depending on the year that this is eligible for awards, he should be considered among the favorites.

The story, as already mentioned, was wild, with enough unpredictable twists and turns that one would assume it was a work of fiction. I was awestruck as Tony had the police wrapped around his finger for the first few hours of the standoff, and his meticulous planning was impressive as well. There were a number of smaller aspects of this story that captivated me as well, from Tony’s relationship with Fred Temple to M.L. Hall’s apparent apathy towards his son. I audibly scoffed at M.L. when he hung up on his son. This was also a small thing, but I was touched by how courteous Tony was through all of the proceedings, be it thanking bystanders who had always been nice to him or apologizing for his language on national TV and radio. It’s those kinds of touches that really humanize an antihero.

Amidst my praise for this movie, there were a couple big misfires, and the worst offender had to be the editing. I can totally see what they were going for with the freeze frames and jerky camera work, but those decisions were really immersion-breaking for me. It didn’t make sense to me that the edit seemed to be reporter-informed rather than criminal-informed. Imagine an edit of this movie that was as cool and careful as Tony was, something with that 70s noir feel. That would’ve been so cool! I also thought a few of the performances were pretty phoned in, with Al Pacino’s being the worst of the bunch (no pun intended). I also didn’t really care for the news reporter subplot; with a main character so magnetic, there shouldn’t be a single moment of this movie that doesn’t capture him.

While admittedly more of a mixed bag that I thought I’d get, Dead Man’s Wire was a gripping breath of fresh air amidst so much January slop. Anchored by one of 2025’s most underrated performances, Dead Man’s Wire will hold the top spot of 2026 for at least a month, which is a huge feat for a January release. I think its first real competition will come on Valentine’s Day with “Wuthering Heights”, but until then, congrats on the gold medal!