HOLD YOUR FIRE is a killer documentary. It is the story of how hostage negotiations came about when the robbery of a sporting good store went horribly wrong and ended up the longest standoff in NYPD history.
The whole things started when four black men tried to rob a sporting goods store in Brooklyn. They had wanted the guns for protection from the Black Panthers. The robbery was discovered and the police arrived. After a three hour shoot out. The four men ended up holding 12 people hostages. As the police followed their typical pattern of trying to bully the people inside to come out (Think Dog Day Afternoon), one of their number, an atypical cop with a psychology degree was allowed to try something different and by flying by the seat of his pants managed to change how situations were resolved.
Let me cut to the chase, how good is HOLD YOUR FIRE? When it was done I started it over and watched it a second time.
This is an eye opening film on so many levels. As bad as things are now watching the film you quickly realize how bad things used to be. Its clear the NYPD had no clue and it’s incredibly lucky that none of the hostages were killed since the cops were rather trigger happy and they were considering just driving a tank into the store to end it. Watching the film you realize that we have moved toward a better place.
HOLD YOUR FIRE is a killer documentary. It is the story of how hostage negotiations came about when the robbery of a sporting good store went horribly wrong and ended up the longest standoff in NYPD history.
The whole things started when four black men tried to rob a sporting goods store in Brooklyn. They had wanted the guns for protection from the Black Panthers. The robbery was discovered and the police arrived. After a three hour shoot out. The four men ended up holding 12 people hostages. As the police followed their typical pattern of trying to bully the people inside to come out (Think Dog Day Afternoon), one of their number, an atypical cop with a psychology degree was allowed to try something different and by flying by the seat of his pants managed to change how situations were resolved.
Let me cut to the chase, how good is HOLD YOUR FIRE? When it was done I started it over and watched it a second time.
This is an eye opening film on so many levels. As bad as things are now watching the film you quickly realize how bad things used to be. Its clear the NYPD had no clue and it’s incredibly lucky that none of the hostages were killed since the cops were rather trigger happy and they were considering just driving a tank into the store to end it. Watching the film you realize that we have moved toward a better place.
The film also beautifully lays out the feelings of the various groups involved. We come to understand why the men decided to rob the store. We understand the point of view of the hostages, the people outside and even the cops many of which still feel that the robbers should have been put to death because a cop died during the gunfight.
This is a perfect time capsule of the early 1970’s. Watching the film I felt I was back in Brooklyn 50 years ago. There is a tactile feel to it all. I could feel what it was like to be in the city at the time.
What I love is there is complexity to it all. Director Stefan Forbes doesn’t sugar coat things. While he clearly explains what happened, he also leaves things messy. Things aren’t neat. We are not given explanations for how people not interviewed felt. The result is something much closer to life rather than polished film. It gives the proceedings a weight that haunts us. I also understand how that may not work for people who want documentaries to be neat and clean.
I love this film. I can’t wait to see it yet again.
Highly recommended.The film also beautifully lays out the feelings of the various groups involved. We come to understand why the men decided to rob the store. We understand the point of view of the hostages, the people outside and even the cops many of which still feel that the robbers should have been put to death because a cop died during the gunfight.
This is a perfect time capsule of the early 1970’s. Watching the film I felt I was back in Brooklyn 50 years ago. There is a tactile feel to it all. I could feel what it was like to be in the city at the time.
What I love is there is complexity to it all. Director --- doesn’t sugar coat things. While he clearly explains what happened, he also leaves things messy. Things aren’t neat. We are not given explanations for how people not interviewed felt. The result is something much closer to life rather than polished film. It gives the proceedings a weight that haunts us. I also understand how that may not work for people who want documentaries to be neat and clean.
I love this film. I can’t wait to see it yet again.
Highly recommended.
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