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Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
Director: Sidney Lumet
Cast overview: Al Pacino, John Cazale
Running time: 125 minutes
This is one of my favourite films, one of those I consider to be perfect, and one of those that I will often come back to. It's fantastic. Sidney Lumet has a reputation as a great director, though he may be somewhat underrated among many. The plot is simple enough, revolving around what is supposed to be a straightforward bank robbery - as straightforward as bank robberies get, anyway - on a New York street on one sultry summer afternoon. Naturally, as is often the case, everything goes wrong. The police and FBI soon arrive and a tense and suspenseful four-hour stand-off ensues, a battle of wits and nerve between the police and Sonny and Sal - played respectively by Pacino and Cazale - takes place.
The acting and directing is first-rate, with this being the film in which Pacino really made his name and stood out as a fantastic actor. He may be known as a gung ho-type actor but here he plays someone who is good at heart but just makes a mistake that costs him dear - Cazale is more low-key, but he had a terrific knack of displaying emotion with his eyes and facial expressions. Sadly he was taken from us at far too young an age, though the five films he starred in are all regarded as classics. The supporting cast also provide a good base - perennial character actor Charles Durning as Detective Eugene Moretti was effective and authentic, and Chris Sarandon as Sonny's transsexual lover Leon was equally good.
The dialogue is sharp, thrilling, and witty, and Frank Pierson received a much-deserved Oscar for it. There's also plenty of tension built up as a result of the suspenseful writing, both mixing some of the more mundane conversational discussions with tenser moments. Sonny's chants of "Attica! Attica!" to the assembled crowd, for example, has become an iconic cinematic moment, and was a reference to the Attica prison riot four years earlier.
This is an excellent film, in my opinion, and I would recommend it to anyone who loves a good crime drama with characters who are far more than just the cardboard cutouts present in many films in the genre. Pacino provides arguably his best performance ever, and the writing is terrific.
Quotes
Sonny: I don't wanna talk to some flunky pig trying to calm me man.
Det. Sgt. Eugene Moretti: Now you don't have to be calling me pig for...
Sonny: [notices other officers moving toward him] What is he doing?
Det. Sgt. Eugene Moretti: [shouts at officers] Will you get back there!
Sonny: What are you moving in there for?
Det. Sgt. Eugene Moretti: [runs toward closing officers] Will you get the **** back there! Get back there will you!
Sonny: [to the other officers moving toward him] What's he doing? Go back there man! He wants to kill me so bad he can taste it! Huh? ATTICA! ATTICA! ATTICA! ATTICA ATTICA! ATTICA! ATTICA! ATTICA! ATTICA! ATTICA!
[yells to cheering crowd]
Sonny: ATTICA! ATTICA! REMEMBER ATTICA?
Sonny: Kiss me.
Det. Sgt. Eugene Moretti: What?
Sonny: Kiss me. When I'm being ****ed, I like to get kissed a lot.
Sonny: [to his mother] I'm a ****-up and I'm an outcast. If you get near me you're gonna get it- you're gonna get ****ed over and ****ed out.
Trivia
The real bank robber (John Wojtowicz) had watched The Godfather (1972) to get ideas the day he robbed the Chase Manhattan bank. Both Al Pacino and John Cazale were in "The Godfather".
Another notable improvisation in the film was John Cazale's answer to Al Pacino's question of where in the world he'd like to fly to. Pacino's surprised response was absolutely genuine as he had no idea what Cazale was going to say.
John Cazale was cast at Al Pacino's insistence, despite being nowhere the age of the real Sal, who was 18 at the time. Sidney Lumet was opposed to the idea because the actor was clearly inappropriate for the part. However, when Cazale came in to read for the part, Lumet was sold on him within 5 minutes.
Trailer
Director: Sidney Lumet
Cast overview: Al Pacino, John Cazale
Running time: 125 minutes
This is one of my favourite films, one of those I consider to be perfect, and one of those that I will often come back to. It's fantastic. Sidney Lumet has a reputation as a great director, though he may be somewhat underrated among many. The plot is simple enough, revolving around what is supposed to be a straightforward bank robbery - as straightforward as bank robberies get, anyway - on a New York street on one sultry summer afternoon. Naturally, as is often the case, everything goes wrong. The police and FBI soon arrive and a tense and suspenseful four-hour stand-off ensues, a battle of wits and nerve between the police and Sonny and Sal - played respectively by Pacino and Cazale - takes place.
The acting and directing is first-rate, with this being the film in which Pacino really made his name and stood out as a fantastic actor. He may be known as a gung ho-type actor but here he plays someone who is good at heart but just makes a mistake that costs him dear - Cazale is more low-key, but he had a terrific knack of displaying emotion with his eyes and facial expressions. Sadly he was taken from us at far too young an age, though the five films he starred in are all regarded as classics. The supporting cast also provide a good base - perennial character actor Charles Durning as Detective Eugene Moretti was effective and authentic, and Chris Sarandon as Sonny's transsexual lover Leon was equally good.
The dialogue is sharp, thrilling, and witty, and Frank Pierson received a much-deserved Oscar for it. There's also plenty of tension built up as a result of the suspenseful writing, both mixing some of the more mundane conversational discussions with tenser moments. Sonny's chants of "Attica! Attica!" to the assembled crowd, for example, has become an iconic cinematic moment, and was a reference to the Attica prison riot four years earlier.
This is an excellent film, in my opinion, and I would recommend it to anyone who loves a good crime drama with characters who are far more than just the cardboard cutouts present in many films in the genre. Pacino provides arguably his best performance ever, and the writing is terrific.
Quotes
Sonny: I don't wanna talk to some flunky pig trying to calm me man.
Det. Sgt. Eugene Moretti: Now you don't have to be calling me pig for...
Sonny: [notices other officers moving toward him] What is he doing?
Det. Sgt. Eugene Moretti: [shouts at officers] Will you get back there!
Sonny: What are you moving in there for?
Det. Sgt. Eugene Moretti: [runs toward closing officers] Will you get the **** back there! Get back there will you!
Sonny: [to the other officers moving toward him] What's he doing? Go back there man! He wants to kill me so bad he can taste it! Huh? ATTICA! ATTICA! ATTICA! ATTICA ATTICA! ATTICA! ATTICA! ATTICA! ATTICA! ATTICA!
[yells to cheering crowd]
Sonny: ATTICA! ATTICA! REMEMBER ATTICA?
Sonny: Kiss me.
Det. Sgt. Eugene Moretti: What?
Sonny: Kiss me. When I'm being ****ed, I like to get kissed a lot.
Sonny: [to his mother] I'm a ****-up and I'm an outcast. If you get near me you're gonna get it- you're gonna get ****ed over and ****ed out.
Trivia
The real bank robber (John Wojtowicz) had watched The Godfather (1972) to get ideas the day he robbed the Chase Manhattan bank. Both Al Pacino and John Cazale were in "The Godfather".
Another notable improvisation in the film was John Cazale's answer to Al Pacino's question of where in the world he'd like to fly to. Pacino's surprised response was absolutely genuine as he had no idea what Cazale was going to say.
John Cazale was cast at Al Pacino's insistence, despite being nowhere the age of the real Sal, who was 18 at the time. Sidney Lumet was opposed to the idea because the actor was clearly inappropriate for the part. However, when Cazale came in to read for the part, Lumet was sold on him within 5 minutes.
Trailer