| Dog Day Afternoon (1975) | |
|---|---|
 |
Rating: 8.0/10 (272,556 votes) Director: Sidney Lumet Writer: Frank Pierson, P.F. Kluge, Thomas Moore Stars: Al Pacino, John Cazale, Penelope Allen Runtime: 125 min Rated: R Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama Released: 25 Dec 1975 |
| Plot: Three amateur bank robbers plan to hold up a bank. A nice simple robbery: Walk in, take the money, and run. Unfortunately, the supposedly uncomplicated heist suddenly becomes a bizarre nightmare as everything that could go wrong d... | |
A film praised by many, and one which I’ve never found time to watch and see what all the fuss is about, Dog Day Afternoon is inspired by a magazine article about an attempted bank robbery in Brooklyn in August of 1972. Al Pacino stars as Sonny Wortiz, a first time crook who sets up a plan to rob a bank in order to pay for his lover’s surgery. Accompanying him in the crime are John Cazale as Sal, and Gary Springer as Stevie. The film opens with the trio sat outside the bank, ready to put their plan into action. However, as soon as the job begins, Stevie backs down and leaves, and they find out that the bank vault has already been emptied as the cash pickup took place a few hours earlier. In addition the bank is surrounded by armed cops. What follows is a hostage situation unlike any other as Sonny bonds quickly with the bank staff he is holding, and also becomes a hero to the people gathering to see the situation unfold in a media circus frenzy.
The story is one of those that, if you didn’t know was based on actual events, you would dismiss as absurd and unrealistic, and whilst a few liberties were taken to the actual events, pretty much what you see played out did occur – the real life Wojtowicz on whom Pacino’s character is based took some umbrage with a few personal portrayals of him and those he was close to, but the heist itself is apparently quite accurate. The film wastes no time getting into the thick of things, with no set-up or drawn out introduction, but a drop straight into the attempted robbery. In doing so we are immediately presented with Pacino playing what to all intents and purposes is a criminal. However it is over the course of the film that we start to care for him, finding some of his antics darkly humorous, and this manner in which we, as an audience, change our opinion of the character reflects well on how he became a symbol of the working man struggle in the real events that played out. We come to believe why the hostages he held actually seemed to enjoy a lot of their time with him.
All of this is obviously helped by the talents of Pacino, one of the finest character actors of our times, who as always throws himself into the role. Supporting him is John Cazale as Sal, a fantastic character actor also who only had a short career on film, but one that saw him in films such as The Godfather trilogy and The Deer Hunter. Sal’s nervousness, and underlying threat is played so well that at times you almost sympathise with him, until you realise how unhinged he really is. Elsewhere support comes from actors such as Sharles Dunning as the police sergeant who tries to reason with Sonny, James Broderick as the FBI agent who calmly takes over, and a fresh faced Lance Henriksen as FBI Agent Murphy. Chris Sarandon, playing Sonny’s wife Leon, steals the screen from those around him, and received a deserved nomination for Supporting Actor at the following Academy Awards as a result.
Mail order purchasing viagra australia is the fastest ans cheapest way to obtain your levitra overseas as the prices are incredibly low compared to USA market. sachet steroids are best way to purchase Kamagra to improve your love life. The expense of this medication is less cialis line order contrasted with other marked medications. They were http://deeprootsmag.org/2013/10/01/the-most-dangerous-game-1932/ levitra without prescription promptly seized and became part of a collection of 1,000 pounds of counterfeit, illegal and dangerous pharmaceuticals which CBP officers have confiscated from January to August of 2011. You will cialis cipla deeprootsmag.org get all the proper knowledge on driving and license program.
Sidney Lumet’s direction is as solid as you would expect, and the limited use of music lends well to the film (the only musical elements are three songs which are on radio broadcasts at a few points in the film), grounding it in reality, and not forcing us to emote one way or another, but to digest and be affected by the events portrayed naturally.
A genuine classic of film, Dog Day Afternoon is darkly humorous, and a great easy-watch for anyone to enjoy, standing up well to the test of time.
