Fred Heckman (Jon Hamm) was the hottest radio reporter in Indianapolis. His face was on billboards around the city. American Hostage captures how his life and career changed in 1977 when a mortgage broker he knew from church was taken hostage.
When the workday begins, Fred’s team believes a department store closure will be the next biggest news story. Then the police inform them that Tony Kiritsis (Giovanni Ribisi) has taken Dick Hall (Kristoffer Polaha) hostage. Any sense of normalcy disappears in the office immediately.
Jon Hamm recently starred in The Morning Show on Apple TV as an obnoxious tech billionaire. American Hostage combines The Morning Show’s newsroom backdrop with the hustle and bustle of Mad Men. It shows how the secretaries worked hard behind the scenes and how the hostage coverage affected advertising. Fred’s secretary wasn’t just an assistant. She was also answering the phones and collecting listener feedback like a community manager.
The supporting cast offers several moments of levity. For example, one woman adjusts the TV antenna to avoid technical issues while another is bold enough to ask for a raise in the middle of the chaos. They didn’t have Google back then, so one journalist announces she’s going to the “Hall of Records” to investigate documents in person.
Even though it’s a dramatization of real events, the team behind American Hostage is very thoughtful throughout the series. The script’s selective word choice is the best part. Before Fred’s interview, his colleague Ben (William Jackson Harper) warns him, “this is what you’ll be known for.” Notice how he didn’t warn him about career suicide. Another journalist uses the term “wiggly” to describe someone who’s erratic. They’re careful to avoid calling Tony crazy, especially without knowing much about him.
This stands out after being overwhelmed by how many performers have misused the word hostage in the last few years. It’s appalling how many times comedians have used “hostage” inappropriately as material despite several serious and historic hostage situations.
American Hostage seamlessly weaves between office politics, family drama and true crime. It shares multiple perspectives through phenomenal split screen editing for intense phone conversations. The themes about money, attention and mental health make it relevant today. Financially, it conveys how the radio station paid FCC fines for Tony’s profanity and how his foreclosure motivated his crime.
When Tony panics about how to handle Dick Hall, Fred has a way of making him calm. Tony relaxes on the phone with Fred, excited about the prospect of telling his story on air. “Fred Heckman thanking me for my time – that’s something else.”
If you work in journalism or simply love Jon Hamm, this TV series is worth seeing.
American Hostage premieres on September 20 on MGM+ in the US and Crave in Canada. I previewed it as part of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Thanks Sony Pictures! Watch the trailer below.
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