The episodes of "Police Story" from season five were double-length episodes. At first, I thought this would be a bad thing when I started watching them, as I assumed the great pacing and style of the previous four seasons might be lost. Fortunately, the two hour format worked out very well (so far) and all of the episodes up to this one have been terrific...and "Day of Terror...Night of Fear" is no exception.
The story begins with two guys attempting to rob a bank. Their plans go awry when the police soon arrive. A panic ensues and the robbers run. In the process, one of them (Warren Oates) shoots a cop. Both of the robbers soon return to the building and barricade themselves in an office...where several people are working. Soon, they have a bunch of hostages and a crack hostage negotiator (Chad Everett) is soon on the scene to take charge. The next 90 minutes or so is about the negotiations process and freeing the hostages. While this might sound really drawn out, it works well...with pacing and writing really working.
This one is expertly crafted and acted all around. It's also interesting because of the various ways it portrayed the hostages. They had real personality and foibles...unlike other shows where hostages seem like faceless extras. Overall, well worth seeing and a really realistic seeming show.
By the way, this isn't a complaint but more of an observation. The show mentions 'Stockholm Syndrome', though this phenomenon has not been easy to replicate and many psychologists doubt there actually is such a thing. I have no idea about it...just reporting what I've learned.
