Brooklyn, 1973. When Shu’aib Raheem and his friends attempted to steal guns for self-defense, it sparked the longest hostage siege in NYPD history. NYPD psychologist Harvey Schlossberg fought to avert a bloodbath, reform police methods, and save the lives of hostages, police, and the four young Muslim men at the heart of the conflict.
For thoughts on Hold Your Fire, please check out our discussions on The Video Attic:
[youtube https://youtu.be/K3T1XmtSqXo?t=3110]
Video Quality
Hold Your Fire comes to Blu-Ray from RLJE Entertainment and IFC Films with a really pleasing high definition master that brings this film to life exactly as intended. The feature showcases an assortment of material of different quality depending on the source, but the filmmakers have taken great care with sourcing their footage. The documentary skews more towards archival footage which seems to be in the best shape you could hope for given the inconsistent quality of the source material. This mostly consists of vintage new clips and photos from this time period, which fully realizes how the event was perceived at this time. The newer interview segments look clear and stable with natural skin tones and detailed facial features. The colors featured in the footage have a lovely saturation which is presented without issue. You will thankfully not notice much in the way of compression artifacts or digital nuisances. This presentation puts in the work. .
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray disc comes with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track which perfectly captures the sonic ambition of the material. Interviews dominate the runtime with a steady stream of talking heads and voiceovers that come through with unwavering fidelity. Dialogue is crisp and clear up front in the center channel as you get fascinating recollections filmed in stable environments. Archival news clips feature a bit of age-related wear, but not so much as to ruin the experience. The sound quality of any music never falters and spreads throughout the room. You could not ask for a much stronger presentation. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided.
Special Features
There are no special features provided on this disc.
Final Thoughts
Hold Your Fire is a standout documentary from this year which deserves your attention. Not only is the subject matter deeply fascinating, but it is presented in a way which attempts to give a fully realized exploration from multiple points of view. The morality of the feature is not strictly black-and-white, and by exploring this complexity within some of the events, you are delivered a richer overall experience. RLJE Entertainment and IFC Films have released a Blu-Ray featuring a great A/V presentation but not much in the way of special features. If you are a documentary fan who is open to exploring the systemic failures of a society in a nuanced manner, this is the movie for you. Recommended
Hold Your Fire is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: RLJE Films and IFC Films have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
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