Dog Day Afternoon [Special Edition] [DVD] [1975] [1998]

A must see!

Great cast,superb acting,sweaty atmosphere. Pacino was in peak form here before the overacting kicked in.

Other reviewers have rightly singled out Pacino's performance as a career best, as Sonny, the twitchy eternal optimist ("We're going to make it, right?"), and also John Casale's haunting and haunted performance as Sal, the sad loner with a dog-like devotion to Sonny.The essence of Pacino's performance is the brilliant balancing act between comedy and pathos, because he always plays the emotional truth of the moment, and lets the reaction come out of that. Improvisation is at the heart of his playing, and thirty years on it seems as fresh and "lived" as ever.But it's also worth commenting on the superb ensemble playing in the beseiged bank between the two robbers and the bank staff held hostage. The director Sidney Lumet gives a valuable commentary on the making of the film, and he puts his finger on what makes the film seem so "real". Partly it's in the single-day time frame of the script; partly it's in the austere refusal to use any music apart from Elton John over the opening credits; partly it's in the use of an extensive rehearsal period and allowing the actors to improvise; partly it's in the creation of the bank set on the real New York street so that characters go inside and outside in real time, without any sense of movie trickery.For 1975, the handling of the gay/transsexual theme was both brave and movingly done. It is cleverly introduced about halfway through the movie, after a deft feint. Sonny talks about wanting to see his "wife", and this is followed by the police interrogating a blabbermouth fat woman with two screaming kids. She is indeed his wife, but the "wife" who turns up is Leon, a drugged-up transsexual (Chris Sarandon) who Sonny has also married. It turns out that the motive for the robbery is to get money for Leon's sex-change operation. Because the film has built up so painstakingly Sonny as a character with a heart as big as a bucket, the audience took, and takes, Sonny's bisexuality in its stride. When he is finally about to leave the bank with the hostages, Sonny makes his will, leaving his life insurance divided between Leon ("who I loved more than any man has loved another man") and his heterosexual wife. This scene is the emotional heart of the movie, and lifts it way above run-of-the-mill heist films.The essence of the film is waiting: characters waiting to escape or be released. But the movie is not at all static, because of the emotional flows between the characters. In this, director Lumet brings a kind of European cine verite feel to a Hollywood formula. It's a great achievement.

Al Pacino is a class act and the story stands up well despite the prejudices of then and now.

This film, based on a true story, concerns two inept bank robbers, Sal and Sonny, played by John Cazale, and Al Pacino respectivly. Soon after they have robbed a bank of $1100 dollars, for, thats all thats in there, the money having been picked up earlier that day, it is surrounded by 250 police, and news helicoptors hovering above, and the pair soon realise that escape is impossible. So they lock themselves in with employees of the bank, who then become their hostages, and there is a long stand off, as police try to negotiate with them.You get drawn into this film almost immediately, as the characters are totally convincing. It then goes on to delve into Sonny's life and why he needed the money. This film shows the brilliance of Al Pacino's acting abillities, and the signs were there of what he would go onto achieve in his later career, he is now one of the best actors ever.The transfer is in the film's original ratio of 1.85:1. Picture Quality for this release is good, the definition is pin sharp, and there are no problems with the mono soundtrack.

Muy contento

Based on a true ocurrence this movie One of one of young Al Pacino's great performances. This time as a bank robber (Sonny) with a GOOD purpose (which is revealed only later in the movie) whose robbery goes drastically wrong. With not much help from his mate Sal (John Cazale) but with a lot support from the crowd outside (watch our for "Attica! Attica") the robbery turns into a long hostage-taking (with both sides agreeable) episode. Too much to tell but this movie must be one of the greatest of its time. Direction by Sidney Lumet magnificent and the acting overall great. This movie is old but timeless.

Ultra violent gangster movie set in Florida with the central character rising from rags to riches as a ruthless drugs baron. Ultimately though things eventually start to go wrong & the climax of the film is a blood festival as a small army of armed men invade the baron's palatial home eventually killing him & his body guards. Many of the attackers also pay with their lives. Realistically how the hell this could go on without the local police being alerted is anyones guess! If you like Quinton Tarrentino films, you will probably appreciate this little offering.