Dog Day Afternoon

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)

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. (07/06/2009)

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)

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)

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. (17/10/2016)