Plot
On Tuesday, February 8, 1977 in Indianapolis, Tony Kiritsis arrives at the Meridian Mortgage company. Having made an appointment with wealthy mortgage broker M.L. Hall, who has left on vacation, Tony is met by M.L.’s son Richard instead. He holds Richard at gunpoint and wires a shotgun to his neck as a dead man’s switch, rigged to fire if he tries to escape or anyone interferes.
Believing the Halls cheated him after he bought land to develop, Tony is determined to expose them, and notifies the police that he has taken Richard prisoner. Marching his hostage outside, he is confronted by the police, including several of his own drinking buddies. Tony commandeers handcuffs and a police car, forcing Richard to drive them to Tony’s home, followed by the authorities as well as TV reporter Linda Page and her camera crew.
Inside his apartment, Tony has booby-trapped the doors and windows with explosives, and secures Richard and the shotgun to his kitchen table. The building is evacuated and Tony makes his demands known, including an apology from M.L., with reporters gathering as news of the standoff spreads. Letting Richard phone his wife, Tony makes a call himself to local radio DJ Fred Temple, who records him explaining how desperation drove him to take drastic action. The police allow Fred to air the recording while they formulate a plan, with Fred continuing to act as their liaison with Tony.
On Wednesday, an FBI profiler suggests M.L.’s apology will placate Tony. However, over the phone with Richard and Tony, M.L. refuses to acknowledge Tony’s grievances or apologize, despite the gun to his son’s head. The police summon Tony’s brother Jimmy, who is interviewed by Linda. Locked in the bathroom overnight, Richard has a violent nightmare about his captor.
On Thursday, Richard strikes up conversation with Tony about their families. The authorities organize a televised press conference for Tony, ostensibly granting him immunity and forgiving his debt with millions in compensation, but prepare to kill him if necessary. When Tony declares that his requests have been met, Richard assumes he is being freed. Instead, he is reattached to the shotgun and taken to the press conference.
On live television, Tony declares himself a national hero, and forces Richard to read a statement from the company before taking over himself. Tony signs documents to guarantee his demands, convinced he has brought the Halls to justice and secured the money he feels he is owed. As Richard is released, Tony fires the shotgun in the air to prove it was loaded, before he is promptly arrested. Richard is finally uncuffed and reunited with his wife, while a furious Tony is taken away.
Months later, Tony is tried and found not guilty by reason of insanity, to the dismay of the Halls and the police, but having found some public support. As Tony and Richard leave the courthouse, Linda briefly catches each of them on camera. The two men later cross paths at a bakery, wordlessly going their separate ways. An epilogue reveals that Tony was sentenced to two years in a mental institution, but served an additional eight years for refusing psychiatric treatment. Richard struggled with alcoholism in the wake of his abduction, while the company soon went bankrupt.
Production
The script was written in 2020 by Austin Kolodney. He was introduced to the true story via a podcast episode, and subsequently enlisted the help of documentarians Alan Berry and Mark Enochs (makers of the 2018 documentary Dead Man's Line on the events) to research and compile all the information of the events available. [7] In March 2024, it was reported that the film was in development with Werner Herzog and Nicolas Cage attached to direct and star in the film, respectively. [8] [9]
By December 2024, Gus Van Sant was set to direct with Bill Skarsgård and Dacre Montgomery leading the cast. [10] Talking about his decision to make the film, Van Sant said: "When I read the script there were links embedded in it – you could click them and hear the real 911 calls. Tony talked so fast, like Scorsese on a cocaine bender, cracking jokes and losing his temper. I thought, 'This is an amazing character. The story had this weird barnstormer energy ... The producer said, 'We have to start shooting in Louisville in two months.' That was the most appealing thing – just hitting the road." [11] Skarsgaard was someone Van Sant had wanted to work with for a long time; while Van Sant cast Montgomery off of his viral Stranger Things audition tape. [11]
In January 2025, Colman Domingo, Myha'la, Cary Elwes, and John Robinson joined the cast. [12] [13] Domingo was cast after several actors had passed on the role; he was brought into the project by the producer Cassian Elwes. [11] In February 2025, Al Pacino joined the cast. [14]
Principal photography took place in Louisville, Kentucky, in January 2025. [15] [16] [17] It was shot over 19 days; Pacino filmed his part in one day while Domingo shot his in two days. [18]
