Dead Man's Wire

On Tuesday, February 8, 1977, in Indianapolis, Tony Kiritsis arrives for an appointment with wealthy mortgage broker M.L. Hall at the Meridian Mortgage company. Tony is instead met by M.L.'s son Richard, who reveals that M.L. has left on vacation. Tony then 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. He believes the Halls cheated him of potential profit after he bought land to develop and is determined to expose them. He notifies the local police that he has taken Richard prisoner then commandeers a police car. He forces Richard to drive them to Tony's home, closely followed by the authorities as well as local reporters.

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., 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, the FBI gets involved; M.L. refuses to acknowledge Tony's grievances or apologize during a phone call with Richard and Tony. The police summon Tony's brother Jimmy. On Thursday, 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. With Jimmy's assurance, Tony decides to go through with the conference and reattaches Richard to the shotgun.

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 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. Tony asserts his sanity as he leaves the courthouse. Many years later, Tony and Richard coincidentally 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.