(***)
He’s pissed. He’s so t-ed off he’s grabbed a gun and a hostage. Someone’s gonna pay for what they did. “This company has done me wrong. I’m gonna let the world know what you’ve done to me.”
Screenwriter Austin Kolodney marks his feature film debut with a story that’s a whopper. So crazy it has to be true, and it is. His script is based on the antics of Tony Kiritsis. A man who was apoplectic that the Meridian Mortgage Company presumably screwed him over for a land deal he wanted, but they wanted more. The audacity!
So, on February 8th, 1977, in Indianapolis, IN, he stormed into the office of mortgage broker Richard “Dick” Hall (Dacre Montgomery). Took him hostage with a 12-gauge, Winchester 1400 sawed-off shotgun that he’d wired with a “dead man’s wire” to the back of Dick’s head and connected it to a trigger. The hostage taking captured the media’s attention, the consternation of local police and the imagination of all who watched it on TV.
Director Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting) conducts the mayhem like a seasoned filmmaker. The footage (cinematographer Arnaud Potier, Skin) looks as cheesy as a ‘70s porn film. Old and new clips are mixed together. The sets (production designer Stefan Dechant) and clothes (Peggy Schnitzer) aptly recreate the era and its midwestern culture.
Swedish actor Bill Skarsgard (Nosferatu) steps into the persona of Tony, blurring the line between actor and character. Loud, aggressive, crazed and determined. Like the guy behind the 7/11 counter who’s determined to help you with your slurpy, even if you don’t need it. He’s dangerous with a gun in his hand. Likable, gregarious but angry as hell. His touchy, volatile and emotionally disturbed demeanor is diametrically opposed to that of Al Pacino’s. The legendary Oscar® winner plays Dick’s insensitive dad, who is quite blasé about the whole ordeal. Concerned, but not all that concerned, as he phones it in from his vacation in Florida.
A subplot regarding a rookie TV reporter (Myha’la) is more curious than relative to the main story. The more believable second storyline involves a popular local, radio DJ, Fred Heckman (Colman Domingo), who gets pulled into Tony’s orbit. Domingo has the voice for the job. Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride) has the face it takes to play the sheriff in charge who has a plan if Tony goes off the rails.
If the basic plot reminds viewers of Dog Day Afternoon, they understand the nature of this precarious narrative and that it can lead to danger at the drop of a handkerchief. There are moments when what’s on view is so talky and stagnant that you think it might make a better play than a movie. Also, after investing all this time and effort in Tony’s dilemma, that dude better escape or meet a fiery end. Instead, audiences get the finale that happened in real life. And it’s a doozy.
Van Sant is wise to add real footage, black and white photos and other devices to break up the monotony of one-joke movie. He seems to trust the actors to do their job and find the truths in their characters. That said, if editor Saar Klein had cut 15 minutes from the 105-minute length, viewers’ attention might not ebb at points.
Hell, hath no fury like a Midwest man done wrong. We know this because we can see it on screen. Big business messed with the wrong man. At least that’s what he thinks and that’s why adult audiences may enjoy this nostalgic bio/crime/drama. It’s absurd enough to be gripping when it should be. Like chasing an ambulance waiting for the next accident. You know it’s coming. And you know you shouldn’t look at it or get thrilled by it. But you do both and can’t help yourself.
Most who view will give in to this crazy, animated crime story.
Photos courtesy of the Toronto International Film Festival
For more information about the Toronto International Film Festival go to https://tiff.net/.
Visit Film Critic Dwight Brown at DwightBrownInk.com.