Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Hostages’ on HBO Max, in Which the Iran Hostage Crisis is Revisited Via an Excellent, No-Frills Documentary Series

Hostages (now on HBO Max), a four-part chronicle of the Iran hostage crisis, continues to show HBO’s commitment to excellence in documentary storytelling. A team of five directors tracks down key figures, ranging from hostages themselves to diplomats and journalists on the scene, to revisit the dilemma in a modern context (and frankly, it’s good to revisit this story while these people are still alive to do it). Let’s dig into the first episode and get a taste of how HBO frames a key point in recent foreign-policy history.

HOSTAGES: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: Vintage footage: The logo for a CBS NEWS SPECIAL REPORT.

The Gist: Preview montage: In 1979, Iranian radicals stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran and took control, holding 52 Americans hostage for a whopping 444 days. It was a political disaster that cost Jimmy Carter a second presidential term, and established a new baseline for foreign relations with Iran that stands to this day. Title card: PART ONE: THE PEACOCK THRONE. Talking heads mingle with archival footage, reminding us that Iran was once a monarchy. At the time, the king, or Shah, was Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, an extremely wealthy, well-educated man who admired American ideals, and therefore fostered a fruitful relationship with the U.S., dating back to the Eisenhower administration. Under his eye, Iran was a growing, progressive country.

But a strong anti-American sentiment simmered beneath the veneer the Shah painted atop the populace. Common, religious folk were overlooked as the Shah pursued capitalist wealth. Pahlavi insisted on being addressed not just as “King,” but “King of Kings.” In 1971, he stirred outrage by spending $100 million ($730 million in 2022 dollars) on a lavish party celebrating the 2,500th anniversary of the Persian Dynasty. Oh, and by the way, he was also a brutal dictator whose personal military forces would enslave political dissidents; we meet a photographer who was arrested for publishing photos of poor and homeless Iranians, and he gives a first-person account of the months of torture he endured at the hands of the Shah’s men. “I learned the hard way what is the extreme darkness of the humanity,” he says.

In 1977, Carter became President, and his reputation for being firm on human rights fell to compromise as he extended a kind hand to the Shah – which included selling him the very military armaments he used to suppress his domestic political opponents. Unrest grew. Violent protest ruled the streets as the Shah’s forces clashed with revolutionaries. Revolutionaries, fueled by the Ayatollah Khomeni, an almost anti-charismatic religious leader who was holed up in Paris, but whose speeches were recorded and circulated in the Iranian underground, fueling the uprising. In what has been considered a “major intelligence failure,” Carter continued supporting the Shah – who would soon go into exile, allowing Khomeni’s supporters to take over the palace. Meanwhile, the plush, sprawling U.S embassy sat in the center of Tehran, symbolizing precisely what many Iranians hated. A heavily armed gang of leftist extremists targeted the embassy. Many of the hundreds of Americans living and working there fled the country. A handful stayed, and were soon held captive.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Hostages brings to mind all manner of History Channel stuff, except way, way better, and actually focused on history. I just watched another HBO doc about the U.S.’s bungles in the Middle East, Escape from Kabul. And for another, warmer, significantly less critical side of Jimmy Carter, check out Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President.

Our Take: The opening quarter of Hostages is no-nonsense, meat-and-potatoes documentary filmmaking. It’s crisply presented and edited, and its array of talking heads provide thorough context. It sets the stage for the meat of the narrative, to come in the next three episodes. It’s full of quietly fascinating commentary: a Washington Post reporter from a family of D.C. socialites talks about both covering the conflict and dating an Iranian diplomat. The incarcerated photographer’s story illuminates the cruelty of the Shah, who otherwise gives off an air of soft-spoken sophistication. A reporter points out that the plane carrying Khomeni from France to Iran was full of famous journalists – and many feared the plane was going to be shot down by the Shah’s loyalists.

This is the type of detail that’ll set history buffs’ hearts aflame. And honestly, there’s nothing that sets Hostages apart from many series of its ilk; its consistent, formulaic approach is perfect for a complex story with several moving parts. You won’t cheer for the implication this story has on modern foreign relations (a component teased in upcoming episodes), but you’ll be thankful it’s told with such focus and clarity.

Sex and Skin: None.

Parting Shot: A rapid-fire montage of stills of American hostages, bound and blindfolded.

Sleeper Star: Associated Press reporter Scheherezade Faramarzi is one of the first episode’s most frank, consistently engaging talking heads.

Most Pilot-y Line: Political officer and embassy hostage Michael Metrinko explains why he stayed in Tehran despite the unrest: “I was a political officer… If you chase storms, you don’t want nice, summer, sunny weather. You want a storm you can chase, a tornado. And occasionally, it chases you.”

Our Call: STREAM IT. Watch the excellent first episode of Hostages, and the next three will topple easy, like dominoes.

John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Read more of his work at johnserbaatlarge.com.