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Dog Day Afternoon
Hikinen iltapäivä sai alkunsa, kun Patrick Mann (pseudonyymi) syventyi eräänä kuumana aamuna newyorkilaisen sanomalehden pikku-uutiseen. Siinä kerrottiin uskomattomalta tuntuvaa tarinaa miehistä, jotka yrittivät ryöstää pankin ja aiheuttivat valtaisan kaaoksen panttivankidraamoineen. Lopulta hellyttäväksi motiiviksi paljastui toisen ryöstäjän kiihkeä tarve saada rahaa poikaystävänsä sukupuolenvaihdosleikkaukseen.
Kirjaan perustuvaa Sidney Lumetin ohjaamaa kulttielokuvaa katsotaan edelleen, ja sitä pidetään yhtenä alan merkkipaaluista ja 1970-luvun tärkeimmistä elokuvateoksista. Siitä sai alkunsa nuoren Al Pacinon ja Ben Gazzalen tähtiura.
Kirjaan perustuvaa Sidney Lumetin ohjaamaa kulttielokuvaa katsotaan edelleen, ja sitä pidetään yhtenä alan merkkipaaluista ja 1970-luvun tärkeimmistä elokuvateoksista. Siitä sai alkunsa nuoren Al Pacinon ja Ben Gazzalen tähtiura.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1974
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 18, 2017
This is a superb 1970s crime novel which--as far as I can make out--is a post-movie adaptation of a screenplay. But if any indication was needed as to how great it is--it is tightly associated (as I hope you realize) in one best American movies of that decade. DDA is legendary and this book is where it all started.
It is told in first-person POV from inside-the-mind of Sonny; the ex-Vietnam Vet, bisexual, overall screw-up (and later prison convict) after his would-be attempt at bank robbery. That robbery originally took place deep in southern Brooklyn.
Now I hereby warn you: don't pick up this novel looking for sensitive treatment of women or minorities. Mann did a good job. This book is raw, volatile, nasty, angry, sweaty, and raunchy. It is full of a kind of gritty, angry, grimy real-life which you probably can't take since it isn't much printed anymore. It pulls no punches.
So don't read it and then complain later about it 'not being nice'. It isn't nice. It's not meant for boy scouts or the ladies-garden-club or the knitting-circle in your neighbourhood. This is the way paperback thrillers used to be!
It is told in first-person POV from inside-the-mind of Sonny; the ex-Vietnam Vet, bisexual, overall screw-up (and later prison convict) after his would-be attempt at bank robbery. That robbery originally took place deep in southern Brooklyn.
Now I hereby warn you: don't pick up this novel looking for sensitive treatment of women or minorities. Mann did a good job. This book is raw, volatile, nasty, angry, sweaty, and raunchy. It is full of a kind of gritty, angry, grimy real-life which you probably can't take since it isn't much printed anymore. It pulls no punches.
So don't read it and then complain later about it 'not being nice'. It isn't nice. It's not meant for boy scouts or the ladies-garden-club or the knitting-circle in your neighbourhood. This is the way paperback thrillers used to be!
October 11, 2019
Enjoyed the Al Pacino movie.
February 12, 2017
Littlejoe (Sonny in the movie) is one hell of a well-drawn character. Dialogue is superb throughout. This novel is substantially different from what we see in Sidney Lumet's film... in a good way: there's a lot more backstory from Joe and Lana and the "leather bars" where Joe likes to hang out.
But then everyone will miss John Cazale's Sal, as this character (Sam) is a whole other person in the book. Moretti and Baker (Sheldon) are more developed here, and even though both Lanas, the book's and the film's, are fantastic, the one here comes across as more manipulative, dominant, and evil, while Chris Sarandon's Leon is a helpless victim.
A fun read that picks up the pace as soon as the heist begins.
But then everyone will miss John Cazale's Sal, as this character (Sam) is a whole other person in the book. Moretti and Baker (Sheldon) are more developed here, and even though both Lanas, the book's and the film's, are fantastic, the one here comes across as more manipulative, dominant, and evil, while Chris Sarandon's Leon is a helpless victim.
A fun read that picks up the pace as soon as the heist begins.
July 9, 2007
If you enjoyed the Al Pacino movie, treat yourself to its superb print version. Written by Leslie Waller, under the pseudonym Patrick Mann, this based-on-true-story novel is woefully unknown and underrated, but thanks to Internet bookstores, no longer hard to find. Waller, writing in third person, pulls you right into the life of Joe Nowicki, aka Littlejoe, who plans to rob a Queens Chase Bank so he can pay for a sex change operation for his transvestite lover. Topical and raunchy were two words used to describe the book and movie in the early 70s. The dialogue is a treat to the ear and the suspense is unyielding, even if you know the ending from seeing the movie. I don't know why the novel didn't have a long shelf life, but it deserves to be back in print and read by a larger audience.
March 16, 2016
Patrick Mann is the author and the pseudonym used by crime fiction author Leslie Waller when he novelized a screenplay, as is the case here. This was written after the fact of the movie and therefore based on the screenplay. Even so there are a few differences with the actual plot of the film. Pretty good, pulpy book.
September 5, 2015
Hard to believe that this is a novelisation written from the script of the classic movie, starring Al Pacino. Reads like a classic.
April 28, 2021
“This is a gun, Marge. One more word out of you and the slug gets you right in the left tit. What the fuck is the world coming to? I hold a gun on this broad and she badmouths me to my face? What is that? “
A complex and fragile window into humanity. An easy and must read.
'Never in his life had Littlejoe moved so quickly through the burrough of his birth. It was as if, in saying goodbye , the whole place was flashing before his eyes.'
A complex and fragile window into humanity. An easy and must read.
'Never in his life had Littlejoe moved so quickly through the burrough of his birth. It was as if, in saying goodbye , the whole place was flashing before his eyes.'
February 24, 2023
I did not enjoy the sexism in this book…but the main character is robbing a bank so I know he doesn’t share my morals. I thought what he was willing to do for his wife to get a gender confirming surgery was extremely romantic, the ending was a different story. But the story was told very well and I think was quite progressive for the times (and I love gay shit). It was also exciting and easy to read pretty quickly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 2, 2017
When the movie based on this book was in the theaters I read the book instead. I never have seen the movie. It's been sufficiently long ago, now, that I don't recall details but I remember enjoying the reading of it.
November 9, 2024
A ‘corker’ of a book! Fast paced and very 70s, I enjoyed every page.
I’ve never seen the movie, and I think it has a different feel, and now I want to watch it. I have a feeling that the casting of Pacino is perfect.
I’ve never seen the movie, and I think it has a different feel, and now I want to watch it. I have a feeling that the casting of Pacino is perfect.
July 27, 2023
One of the better film-to-book adaptions I’ve read but it still read as a screenplay. Not much backstory, definitely very surface level. Would like to read the original book.
February 7, 2024
Hot days make me rob banks too
December 10, 2007
I've actually never seen the movie. The book is about a man nicknamed "Littlejoe" who decides to rob a bank with his friend Sam in order to pay for Littlejoe's wife's (Lana) sex change operation. They take over the bank on a sweltering hot day in the summer and have a handful of hostages under their wing. Littlejoe tries to compromise with police officer Moretti as he leaves the hostages unharmed as he receives a million in cash and a flight out of the JFK airport to Casablanca. In the end their plan backfires when they discover the driver of the limo has the upper hand.
This book was a good read. It was face-paced, very detailed, and it kept you interested because you wanted to know Littlejoe's next move.
This book was a good read. It was face-paced, very detailed, and it kept you interested because you wanted to know Littlejoe's next move.
October 5, 2012
I found this to be a funny, entertaining read. Of course, any fan of the movie should find it enjoyable. It's a great tale of a bank heist gone epically wrong, and the characters--although not the brightest--are convincing and likable enough to gain sympathy from the reader. Little Joe is extremely selfish, but he's relatable in that he's stuck in an un-ideal life that he desperately wants to change. After deciding to rob a bank things quickly spiral out of control and soon he's stuck in a hostage situation and is in over his head. If you want a quick, entertaining read I'd recommend this.
April 26, 2012
I love Al Pacino, and after seeing the movie, I bought this book and must say really enjoyed reading it. The book is about a man nicknamed Littlejoe who decides to rob a bank with his friend Sam in order to pay for Littlejoe's wife's sex change operation.
This book is a good read fast-paced,and gripping.
This book is a good read fast-paced,and gripping.
November 30, 2013
You can't outsmart The Man.
January 15, 2023
As engrossing as I remember, the pace builds nicely toward the conclusion. The movie adaptation is a good one, but this version is more abrasive and in-your-face if you like that kind of thing.
June 26, 2014
Gritty, pulpy, foul-mouthed, and a helluva good read.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews