Most of the filming took place in Market Square in downtown Pittsburgh while most of the sound stage filming took place in a warehouse in Lawrenceville, a section of Pittsburgh.
Jake "Mr. Wolf" Mendez, an ex-Sergeant in the Marine Corps and his men, all former members of the "10-13", a military platoon that participated in combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, enter a bank and rob it. Outside, on their way to the getaway car, they are shot at by vigilante, law enforcement, and private security personnel. Forced to retreat back into the bank when the getaway driver is wounded and their vehicle disabled, they take the bank customers hostage. Hostage negotiator Captain Horst Cali, attempts to end the stand off while elements of the "10-13" outside the bank and the father of one of the hostages work to help Mr. Wolf and his team escape.
The series was executive produced by James DeMonaco, David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Steve Shill.[2] DeMonaco has dealt with hostage situations before in his script for The Negotiator. Directors include cable regular Steve Shill who the network hoped would help to establish their reputation for drama.[1]
Critics have characterised the show as familiar but watchable.[3][4][5][6][7][8] Comparisons have been drawn to 1970s bank heist movies,[6][7]Tarantino,[4]The Nine[2][3][4][6][8][9] and 24.[2] Comparisons to The Nine have been favourable on the grounds that The Kill Point always has an ending in sight.[3][6][9] Mr. Wolf's speeches to the crowd has been called "an Attica[7] moment" and compared to Dog Day Afternoon.[3][6]
The characters have been described as cliché by reviewers.[2][5] However, the script has drawn praise for its subtlety and entertainment value.[5] One reviewer felt that the running time allowed the clichéd characters to be developed in more interesting directions.[2]
The casting of the show has drawn particular praise. Reviewers have noted the cast members who have also worked on The Wire including Michael K. Williams, JD Williams, Leo Fitzpatrick and Michael Hyatt.[3][7] The chemistry of the opposing roles of negotiator and hostage taker also drew praise for John Leguizamo and Donnie Wahlberg as well as a surprising performance by Jeremy Davidson an unknown whose portrayal of a disturbed war veteran was very under-rated.[1][2][6][7] The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette praised local actor Bingo O'Malley.[8]
Five webisodes featuring Steve Cirbus as Deke and Joshua Elijah Reese as Derzius were made available via Spike TV's website.[8] They cover the activities of Deke and Derzius of 10/13 platoon outside the bank as they work to aid Mendez and company. The webisodes were written and directed by Josh Trank.
