Tony Kiritsis

So that should tell you that it really, they do stretch it out.

It's based on the 1977 extraordinary, actually, true story of Tony Kiritsis, who was this middle-aged man, you know, railing against the system and the world, who took his mortgage broker hostage and held him for 60-something hours.

It happened in Indiana.

Wow.

And this is around the time of Dog Day Afternoon and all that stuff.

So it's a real – he kind of, at least in the telling of it from this TV show's perspective, became a bit of a folk hero as like a done-against man against the institutions.

Giovanni Ribisi plays Tony Kiritsis and Jon Hamm is the radio broadcaster in this.

Oh, okay.

The first IVF treatments were in the, what I'm trying to say is the 70s were a big time for inventions, but it wasn't all good stuff.

There was Scandal, there was Crime, Watergate, D.B. Cooper, Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, and of course the Tony Kiritsis standoff.

That's the basis event for the show we are here to discuss, American Hostage.

Yeah.

Sneaky Pete's going to bring a certain gravitas to it.

Well, it's not just that.

I mean, Skarsgård, Bill Skarsgård is 36, and I think that the actual Tony Kiritsis at the time was 45, and Giovanni Ribsi is 51, and I feel like just on an aesthetic level when it comes to his look, because they showed some of the actual footage in the movie, I feel like Giovanni Ribsi plays it better that way.

Also, he's playing it more desperate.

It's based on a true story, which I didn't actually know when I watched episode one.

Back in 1977 in Indianapolis, a guy called Tony Kiritsis walked into a mortgage broker's office and took broker Dick Hall hostage at gunpoint.

He blamed the company for his financial problems and he kind of reached the end of the rope, really, I guess.

Meanwhile, at the local radio station, there's this host called Fred Heckman, played by Jon Hamm from Mad Men, Your Friends and Neighbours, lots of great stuff.

But of course, anything could happen.

He might end up shooting his hostage.

during the broadcast so it's an ethical dilemma and anyway it's going to play out there's going to be a very long standoff while this guy is holding the broker hostage and he's kind of developing the relationship between himself and heckman i like the look of it 70s backdrop and kind of the colors it's lots of browns and blues and grays it looks really good i do think john ham always chooses his projects very wisely and and this is this is quality in a way it slightly reminded me of the classic al pacino film Dog Day Afternoon where this guy's kind of at the end of his tether he's desperate and he holds up a bank and there's a big standoff there so I must say Giovanni Ribisi who plays Tony Kiritsis is excellent in this he's really believable as a man kind of with nothing to lose but also his who just feels you know I want to be heard you know and I want justice so Yeah, I enjoyed it.

What did you think of this one, Hannah?