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Hold Your Fire

Play trailer 2:22 Poster for Hold Your Fire 2022 1h 33m Documentary History Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
95% Tomatometer 44 Reviews 53% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
In 1973, four young African-American men stealing guns for self-defense in Brooklyn were cornered by the NYPD. A violent gun battle killed a police officer, beginning the longest hostage siege in NYPD history. The NYPD's 130-year-old policy was to deliver an ultimatum, then respond with deadly force. Could visionary police psychologist Harvey Schlossberg convince his superiors to do the unthinkable -- negotiate with "criminals" -- and save twelve hostages from an impending bloodbath? In never-before-seen film and gripping interviews with survivors, HOLD YOUR FIRE uncovers what really happened in this landmark event with the potential to revolutionize American policing.
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Hold Your Fire

Hold Your Fire

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Critics Consensus

A documentary with the heart of a thriller, Hold Your Fire edifies just as adroitly as it enrages.

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Critics Reviews

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Mark Feeney Boston Globe 05/26/2022
3/4
Forbes does something daring with the interviews. He will juxtapose comments that are contradictory, not necessarily in fact but in interpretation or emphasis. This creates a kind of stereo effect that enlarges the film. Go to Full Review
Odie Henderson RogerEbert.com 05/20/2022
3.5/4
The excellent and infuriating Hold Your Fire has all the twists and turns of the best hostage movie thrillers. Go to Full Review
Noel Murray Los Angeles Times 05/20/2022
The multiple perspectives in “Hold Your Fire” add up to a fascinating look back at a still-raging debate over the true purpose of policing. Go to Full Review
Erick Estrada Cinegarage 07/08/2022
Sad, very dark... tremendously revealing. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
Carla Hay Culture Mix 07/04/2022
The compelling documentary Hold Your Fire has lessons that go beyond this chronicle of a notorious hostage crisis that happened in New York City in 1973. The movie shows how dangerous situations can be de-escalated with the correct communication. Go to Full Review
Phil Guie Film-Forward.com 06/23/2022
5/5
What Hold Your Fire accomplishes especially well is its objectivity. It never pushes too hard to exonerate or prove the guilt of any side. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Leigh C May 26 There's an interesting story in there somewhere but the film is excruciatingly slow. See more David F 02/03/2024 This is a pretty good documentary about a hold up of a sporting goods store in New York City that resulted in a hostage situation, before police forces really had any experience or training, or even a real philosophy of what to do to defuse hostage situations. It's really enriched by interviews with the hostage takers, the hostages, and the police, and the different perspectives are really different. Contemporary archival footage adds to the feeling you get that you are there. See more jo k 04/08/2023 Very powerful, honest, revealing. See more dave d 03/19/2023 Stefan Forbes' 'Hold Your Fire' takes a look at a robbery and the ripples it has caused nearly 30 years later. The approach of different perspectives at the same event and how they looked at things then and now is nuanced and imperative. Incredibly, so many of the people involved are still alive, or at least were at the filming of the interviews. This is an important film, but also one you need to have an open mind. If you don't you'll be doomed. If you're filled with hate you won't like this film. That is really the best barometer. Compassionate and self-aware people will love this and ones who incorrectly surmise they are will despise it. Final Score: 9/10 See more 06/26/2022 Stunning cinematography. Key historical perspective and present-day interviews with hostages, the police, and the men who initiated the standoff. The director also produced Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story. In this film, he reprises one of his unique superpowers: getting his subjects (particularly police officers) to confess their deepest feelings and perceptions about race and violence in America. Absolutely essential to understanding the social context of police violence and mass incarceration, both in the 1970s and today. Even when you know the outcome, the suspense builds. The soundtrack is also phenomenal. The copy at the end is shocking, and really points to the ineffectiveness of our carceral system. See more greg r 06/17/2022 Meh. The critics are going a little overboard in the praise for this long documentary, that felt longer than the actual standoff. See more Read all reviews
Hold Your Fire

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Movie Info

Synopsis In 1973, four young African-American men stealing guns for self-defense in Brooklyn were cornered by the NYPD. A violent gun battle killed a police officer, beginning the longest hostage siege in NYPD history. The NYPD's 130-year-old policy was to deliver an ultimatum, then respond with deadly force. Could visionary police psychologist Harvey Schlossberg convince his superiors to do the unthinkable -- negotiate with "criminals" -- and save twelve hostages from an impending bloodbath? In never-before-seen film and gripping interviews with survivors, HOLD YOUR FIRE uncovers what really happened in this landmark event with the potential to revolutionize American policing.
Director
Stefan Forbes
Producer
Tia Wou, Fab 5 Freddy, Amir Soltani, Stefan Forbes
Screenwriter
Stefan Forbes, Stefan Forbes
Distributor
IFC Films
Production Co
InterPositive Media
Genre
Documentary, History
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 20, 2022, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
May 20, 2022
Box Office (Gross USA)
$3.0K
Runtime
1h 33m
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