Dog Day Afternoon

“Kiss me. When I'm being f**ked, I like to get kissed a lot.”

Dog Day Afternoon is a fantastic 'bank robbery gone wrong' movie, but becomes so much more than that.

I’ve been planning on watching this movie for awhile, but failed each time. Now it makes me appreciate my patience after finally checking it out at LIFF (Leeds International Film Festival). Seeing this on a big screen rather than a small one made the experience even more special.

The run time of two hours and 30 minutes, which is crazy because none of it dragged. I loved every minute of it. I was surprised how comedic it is, as I originally expected it to be a crime drama. It's hilarious seeing the hostages who were scared at first, but eventually got so comfortable around the robbers, they toy with their semi-auto rimfire rifles. Even ordering pizza and sodas, and Sonny (Pacino) pays for it with bank money.

Al Pacino is one of the all time greats. His voice, facial tics, walk, hunch, accent, etc. There’s so much to pick up on his performance. He’s better than sex. John Cazale is a national treasure and left us way too soon. The chemistry between Sonny and Sal is dynamic. Sidney Lumet directing captives the entire event and makes it absolutely gripping, especially the climax which had me on edge.

Pacino is fire. Cazale is holy. Sidney is god.

A real classic that asks some difficult questions about the roles celebrity, money and responsibility play in our everyday lives. Al Pacino puts so much into his portrayal of Sonny, the stressed-out intellectual pressed a few steps over the edge, that it's no surprise he nearly suffered a nervous breakdown on the set. It's genuinely amazing how much quality characterization the filmmakers were able to fit into this regularly-sized package, and not just for the lead parts. By the time Sonny, Sal and their hostages are ready to leave the confines of the bank behind, we know more intimate details about every one of them (and, perhaps, ourselves as a society) than we ever could've guessed going in.

Throwing out the script and using largely improvised dialog was a key decision, and transforms a film that could have easily become a thin piece of exploitation into something much more vivid and real. It does slow down quite a bit just before the climax, but in the grand scheme that only adds more drama to the rapid-fire conclusion.

"Sal, Wyoming's not a country."

I was shocked by how much dark humor this has. It's amazing this is based on a true story. The story is nuts and very entertaining. It does start to lose a little steam near the end. Al Pacino and John Cazale are both fantastic.

It has its moments...
There were moments of laughter...
I liked the characters, and the way the hostages were relaxed and calm... Lol
The ending was what I expected....

Oh where oh where did the great actor that was Al Pacino go? I think that this film may have been his best work. Forget the crap like Scent of a Women - he had yet to become a cliche of himself at this point in his career. TThe film is a bit of a dark comedy based on a true story. The payoff is fantastic.

side note: Seek out the biography on John Cazale's brief but amazing career. He was in 5 of the best films ever made and then passed away far too soon.

follow me at http://Ihatebadmovies.com

Dog Day Afternoon tells the story of Sonny and Sal, two guys that robbed a bank in Brooklyn. They had a plan but right after a few minutes after they entered the bank, things went wrong! They made everybody a hostage and the street turned into a big circus full of cops, media and lots of people just to see where that situation was going to end. Very simple story with a great performance by Al Pacino, as usual!

Al Pacino plays Sonny, and Sonny is probably the most insecure and confused bank robber of all time in film! The most interesting fact about the character is that you start to feel empathy for him, you want everything to go well. He is a bank robber and you feel sorry for him.

Overall, is a great thriller with a fantastic lead performance and great supporting performances. At the end it can be very touching. This film is based on true events.

I found this film surprisingly endearing and funny. It's got a really interesting tone to it, combining the typical cop movie with a real human story, making Sonny a great leading character, you wanna know more and more about. Of course, we can't judge the quality of a movie like this based on how much it stays true to the real life story because film makers are allowed to take liberties and make different choices. In this case i'm glad they did because the real guy wouldn't have made me root for him at all, and Al Pacino's Sonny did just that. His performance was, obviously, the highlight of the film. I love him so much, what a man, what an actor!

I can hardly believe how these people could do so much stupid things. Why they needed more than 250 cops against two people in a bank robbery, if they did almost nothing? Why the crowd loved Sonny, a BANK ROBBER? Why the cops did a lot of favours for Sonny, even so there were hostages inside? They could do most of the deeds in another way. And the biggest thing I don't understand, why the hostages treat the robbers as friend after a time?

It starts like a fairly predictable heist film, it’s to the point where I’d argue that the first hour is a little by the numbers and I couldn’t figure out what made it so special. During the second half, the film reveals itself to be something more interesting and progressive, which all has to do with the motivation of Pacino’s character. His performance is excellent and I think it was a great call to make his character nervous and insecure, not some criminal mastermind. Lumet’s direction is gritty, tense and interesting, while also maintaining a strong eye for subtle, dark comedy. It’s not really deep or layered, or the most pulpy, exciting heist film out there, but it is certainly emotionally resonant and memorable.

7.5/10