| Plot Synopsis Based on a true 1972 story, Sidney Lumet's 1975 drama chronicles a unique bank robbery on a hot summer afternoon in New York City. Shortly before closing time, scheming loser Sonny (Al Pacino) and his slow-witted buddy Sal (John Cazale) burst into a Brooklyn bank for what should be a run-of-the-mill robbery, but everything goes wrong, beginning with the fact that there is almost no money in the bank. The situation swiftly escalates, as Sonny and Sal take hostages, enough cops to police the tristate area surround the bank, a large Sonny-sympathetic crowd gathers to watch, the media arrive to complete the circus, and Police Captain Moretti (Charles Durning) tries to negotiate with Sonny while keeping the volatile spectacle under control. When Sonny's lover Leon (Chris Sarandon) tries to talk Sonny out of the bank, we learn the robbery's motive: to finance Leon's sex-change operation. Sonny demands a plane to escape, but the end is near once menacingly cool FBI Agent Sheldon (James Broderick) arrives to take over the negotiations. - Lucia Bozzola Reviews LUCIA BOZZOLA AMG High Artistic Quality Shooting on location in New York, Sidney Lumet and Oscar-winning writer Frank Pierson maintain an objective view of a potentially exploitative story, grasping both the human comedy of an absurd situation and the utter seriousness of what's at stake. Sonny and Sal are not so much stereotypical figures of ridicule as they are lost souls at the mercy of forces beyond their control and comprehension. Yet they are not romanticized; neither cops nor robbers come off well. Dog Day Afternoon found a large 1975 audience for its oddball yet timely story, with all of the lead actors, especially Pacino, winning kudos for their bravura performances. Tapping into contemporary tensions over law, media, and sexuality, with Pacino's confused anti-hero at the center of the melee, Dog Day Afternoon is a quintessential 1970s story, devoid of unequivocal good guys and replete with public and private turmoil. PERRY SEIBERT AMG DVD Review Sidney Lumet's gritty urban crime drama Dog Day Afternoon comes to DVD with a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. English and French soundtracks are rendered in Dolby Digital Mono. English, French, and Spanish subtitles are accessible. Supplemental materials are limited to production notes. While it is certainly great to have this classic film with a widescreen picture, the lack of extras and Mono sound are a bit of a disappointment. DRAGAN ANTULOV rec.arts.movies.reviews Rating: FRESH (8/10) The times have changed. Today American television tries to exploit each and every "saucy" event from the headlines in order to produce couple of uninspiring and formulaic TV movies or mini-series. But in good old days saying "life is stranger than fiction" had some value in screenwriter's minds. At least this is impression you might get from a real life event that inspired DOG DAY AFTERNOON, 1975 drama directed by Sydney Lumet, probably one of the most legendary films in the history of American cinema. Plot begins in August 1972 when group of three men, led by Sonny Wartzik (played by Al Pacino) enters First Savings Bank in Brooklyn in order to rob it. Sonny used to work in a bank and he is supposed to know all the tricks of trade, making the whole operation routine. But things go bad from the start, when one of the robbers simply chickens out and runs, thus leaving Sonny with his silent and dim-witted partner Sal (played by John Cazale) to finish the job. It turns out that the bank vault is mostly empty, but this is not the last unpleasant surprise for Sonny. Before he is able to get out, the bank is surrounded by hundreds of policemen led by Lt. Moretti (played by Charles Durning). Sonny decides to find get out of this situation by taking bank personnel as hostages and demanding plane that would take him and Sal out of the country. But before FBI comes and takes over the negotiations, situation gets out of control - policemen around the bank are joined by thousands of onlookers and the media soon starts reporting some embarrassing details about Sonny's private life and truly bizarre motive for his desperate act. DOG DAY AFTERNOON has many trademarks of 1970s, era that is often referenced as the Golden Age of American cinema. First of all, the main role is played by Al Pacino in his prime, while the supporting role is played by John Cazale, character actor who appeared in few movies but nevertheless managed to leave lasting impression on future generations of filmophiles. The film is directed by Sydney Lumet in his prime, and his style gives impression of a time when filmmakers dared to employ techniques that would look unacceptably "artsy" to present-day Hollywood. The movie lacks musical soundtrack, almost entire plot takes place on a single location and the genre shifts from comedy in the beginning to the serious drama at the end. Despite all of that, DOG DAY AFTERNOON works and it could be enjoyed even by the audience unfamiliar to 1970s cinema. Sydney Lumet, same as in his 1957 masterpiece 12 ANGRY MEN, shows how he could overcome limitations of the plot with an excellent casting and flawless direction. Real life perpetrators of the robbery could be hardly anything other than pathetic losers, but Pacino and Cazale bring a lot of humanity while portraying and making the audience sympathising with them, despite the obvious lunacy of their actions. Lumet shows great talent for pacing that gives "real-time" feeling to DOG DAY AFTERNOON while making the film six times shorter than the real event. The audience is never bored, thanks to the good script by Frank Pierson that compensates the lack of action with good dialogue. Legendary performances by Pacino and Cazale are well-matched by those of Charles Durning and Chris Sarandon, but even the bit parts are good. Sully Boyar is more than fine as duty-bound bank manager Mulvaney, same as various actresses who are very convincing in displaying symptoms of "Stockholm Syndrome". but the most effective bit parts belong to the actors playing FBI agents. Lance Henriksen is truly menacing in one of his earliest role, and the exchange between Pacino's character and Sheldon, FBI agent in charge played by James Broderick, is simply chilling. Perhaps the only major flaw of the film might be found in its date. DOG DAY AFTERNOON, based on the true event, is a film that could be best understood only in the context of the times when it was produced. Early 1970s, although less stormy than late 1960s, still represented the era of great social change in America with anti-establishment behaviour being fashionable among the large segments of society. Even the most pathetic criminals were able to arouse popular sympathy by couple of simple slogans, like "Attica", Sonny's chant that brought very fresh memories of 1971 prison riot that had ended with massacre of inmates. And for homosexual community that had recently won the right to formally exist Sonny became a hero simply because of the motive for his totally insane and self- destructive action. In our "politically correct" times, when the former miscasts and minorities became part of social mainstream, DOG DAY AFTERNOON can't be as effective as it was almost three decades ago. But despite that, it is very good film could still be viewed and enjoyed by latter generations. MATT EASTERBROOK Matt's Movie Reviews Dog Day Afternoon is a very well done piece of social commentary, based on a true story. Set in the dog days of August, 1972, it deals with Brooklynite Sonny Wortzig's (Al Pacino) attempted bank robbery to pay for his lover Leon's (Chris Sarandon) sex change operation. His partner in crime is Sal (John Cazale), who is incensed that the media who catches onto the story believes he's a homosexual as well. It is up to Charles Durning as the police officer in charge to get the eight hostages (including Carol Kane in a small role) out with as little trouble as possible. The direction by Sidney Lumet is well-paced, and includes suspenseful moments. Al Pacino is the main attraction here, and he's absolutely amazing in this role. Actually, he's amazing in almost everything he does, but this is as good a role as any he's played. The movie touches on many topics, including the power of the media. And even though Lumet makes Sonny out to be the hero of the movie, we realize that the cops trying to stop him aren't evil, or buffoons; they're just trying to do their jobs. Too bad movies like this aren't really made anymore; if it were, it would probably be a TV movie loaded up with unnecessary schmaltz. Awards 1975 Academy Best Picture (nom) Best Actor (nom) -Al Pacino Best Director (nom) -Sidney Lumet Best Editing (nom) -Dede Allen Best Original Screenplay (win) -Frank Pierson Best Supporting Actor (nom) -Chris Sarandon 1975 British Academy Awards Best Actor (win) -Al Pacino Best Editing (win) -Dede Allen Best Film -Sidney Lumet 1975 Golden Globe Best Picture - Drama (nom) Best Actor - Drama (nom) -Al Pacino Best Director (nom) -Sidney Lumet Best Screenplay (nom) -Frank Pierson Best Supporting Actor (nom) -Charles Durning Best Supporting Actor (nom) -John Cazale New Star of the Year - Male (nom) -Chris Sarandon 1975 L.A. Film Critics Association Best Picture (win) Best Actor (win) -Al Pacino Best Director (win) -Sidney Lumet Other Awards Best Director (nom) -Sidney Lumet -1975 Directors Guild of America 10 Best Films - -1975 National Board of Review of Motion Pict Best Supporting Actor (win) - -1975 National Board of Review of Motion Pict Best Actor -Al Pacino -1975 New York Film Critics Circle |
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| DOG DAY AFTERNOON 1975 - USA - 130 min. - Feature, Color Director -Sidney Lumet |
| Genre/Type -Crime, Urban Drama, Crime Drama, Docudrama Flags -Violence, Not For Children MPAA Rating -R Keywords -police, homosexual, hostage, sex-change, bank-robbery Themes -Hostage Situations, Bank Robbery, Nothing Goes Right Tones -Tense, Gritty, Downbeat, Harsh, Drab, Gloomy, Angry, Somber Moods -Nail-biters Box office -Among top grossing films of 1975 Set In -New York City, NY Produced by -Artists Entertainment Complex / Warner Brothers DVD Street Date - Dec 17, 1997 Languages - English Subtitles - English, French, Spanish Screen Format - Widescreen(SM), Pan & Scan for TVs Sound - PCM Mono Aspect Ratio - 1.85:1 (Original) 1.33:1 (DVD) Studio - Warner Home Video Cast Al Pacino - Sonny John Cazale - Sal Sully Boyar -- Bank Manager Mulvaney Penny Allen - Sylvia Charles Durning -- N.Y. Detective Moretti James Broderick -- FBI Agent Sheldon Chris Sarandon - Leon Susan Peretz - Angie Judith Malina - Vi Judith Malina - Mother Chu Chu Malave -- Maria's Boy Friend Philip Charles MacKenzie - Doctor |
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