Dog Day Afternoon

An instruction video about how never under any circumstances to proceed during a bank robbery. Al Pacino excels in the main role, demonstrating all typical beginner’s mistakes. Mainly by completely outshining all the others with his performance. Which, in view of how interesting most characters are, is rather a shame; twice as much with respect to Cazale’s role. (06/07/2009)

You’ve just taken the money and suddenly a hundred police officers show up, it's hard to imagine a bigger setback when robbing a bank. Sidney Lumet uses this intriguing idea in the best possible way, collaborating with a stellar Al Pacino to create a thrilling and compelling story whose only drawback was that it was made in the same year as Forman's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Otherwise, in addition to the Oscar for the screenplay, there would surely be an award for the director and also for Pacino, who gives a performance of a lifetime that makes you believe in him. Although it explores a theme used mostly in action films, there are only three shots in the entire film. That, however, doesn't detract from its quality or pace; on the contrary, it leaves even more space for the psychologically demanding situation in which everyone involved – hostages, perpetrators or police officers – find themselves. The whole thing is excellently shot, the atmosphere of the 70s is very much felt, full of discrimination and political affairs, and the viewer is tense until the end – will the robbers be caught or will they be killed? (02/27/2012)

One Wednesday morning, Al Pacino woke up as a bank clerk whose world had crumbled apart. He said to himself “screw it” and he decided to rob his place of work and to exchange the money for cigars, rum and a hut made of straw to sleep in in Cuba. He got himself two accomplices: one flees before the action starts and you feel sad about the other one – even more than you feel sad about the movie. After a botched robbery, the two criminals remain closed in the bank along with several employees, the bank is surrounded by about five dozen cops and the social survey of year 1975 starts. And since the movie stars Al Pacino in the leading role, you can bet that you won’t be bored. (10/17/2016)

Pacino turns in a great performance in a heist movie with a banal plot. Or am I, as a viewer, supposed to be thrilled by the twist when a young man in a bathrobe appears on the scene as his wife, for whose sex change Pacino is doing all of this? His real wife and especially his mother just complete the bizarre circle of characters that make this an unintentional comedy. The depiction of Brooklyn and the situation in the US at the time is praiseworthy, but as a human drama, this classic didn't impress me. (02/14/2021)

I promise will never complain about my bad luck again... Sidney Lumet made a perfect crime drama about one not exactly ordinary bank robbery, that in certain moments is more like a comedy. The role of Sonny Wortzik is one of Al Pacino’s greatest creations ever. He gives a perfect performance of an absolute wreck desperately trying to get the situation under control. John Cazale as Sal is pleasantly inconspicuous and for the whole time it’s apparent that he is consumed by fear. And it seems that the guy at the end in the minibus truly was Lance Henriksen. The screenplay is flawless and goes to show that even such a classic plot like a bank robbery can be turned into something so “different". (10/28/2006)