Dog Day Afternoon

Nowadays it's flat, but in its day it was a very conscious social satire in an unapologetically attractive take on bank robbery. It's incredible how films have swelled and got incredibly big inwardly over the past few decades. Here, the would-be subtle digressions into gay sexuality and political shenanigans are so blatant and simple in hindsight that it doesn't quite hold the viewer's attention, and when they do it is with a considerable smirk. Sidney Lumet can't be denied a certain authenticity and, more importantly, an effort to make everything fit together perfectly. One thing, however, hasn't changed at all in all that time until today: Al Pacino's acting. (02/12/2015)

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. (14/02/2021)

Definitely one of the best bank robbery movies. Not only the drama and the game about the lives of the hostages and the two criminals, but also a bit of a portrait of the times (with allusions to the unlimited power of unions in the States at the time, the power of the media, the Attica massacre and the then despised homosexuality). A de-facto reconstruction of a real case, where it turns out that the best stories are written by life itself – in the first half there are many twists and turns and absurd situations, and with the arrival of the FBI agent, a psychological struggle begins, where you can cut the tension and the whole thing is watched in one breath. The young Al Pacino was already phenomenal at the time, and the master of supporting roles John Cazale with his unreadable expression ably seconded him. Sidney Lumet made several gems, this is one of them, and along with the likes of Arthur Penn, he is one of the most underrated filmmakers of the 1960s and 70s in my eyes. (15/07/2007)

Al Pacino delivers another one of his incredible performances, directed by Sidney Lumet, who has created a film that can initially be seen as a comedy, but gradually develops into a story that you know cannot end well, even though you find yourself rooting for the anti-hero. Just like everyone else. (09/10/2015)

Dog Day Afternoon is deceptive. The beginning feels like a genuine crime comedy when a trio of raw amateurs armed only with determination and confidence decide to rob a bank on a busy street. However, they do not take into account the many larger and smaller obstacles that complicate their situation. Despite many tragicomic situations, the viewer soon senses that the story is heading elsewhere, into a more intense and above all more tragic position. Sidney Lumet directed his film based on a true event, and despite all the absurdity of what is seen, it is all extremely chillingly realistic. He managed to work brilliantly with his actors and extracted maximum emotions from the depicted events, including a considerable dose of social criticism not sparing police or journalistic practices. In a certain position, it is reminiscent of the famous music video by the band Rammstein "Ich will." For me, it is one of the timeless films of its genre, where the viewer will not find a trace of the usual contrivance of similar films. Overall impression: 95%. (05/03/2010)