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Al Pacino, Carol Kane, Charles Durning

A desperate and crazed man, with the help of an accomplice, takes a local Brooklyn bank hostage with plans to rob it in order to pay for his lover's sex-change operation.

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91% liked it

21,520 ratings

Critics

97% liked it

35 critics

R, 130 min.

Directed by: Sidney Lumet

Release Date: August 29, 1975

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DVD Release Date: December 16, 1997

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Stats: 3,223 reviews

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Dog Day Afternoon Attica! Dog Day Afternoon Dog Day Afternoon Dog Day Afternoon "I'm dying here..." Pacino in Dog Day Afternoon Dogday Afternoon (1975) Dog Day Afternoon The two buddies John Cazale in Dog Day Afternoon Dog Day Afternoon Dog Day Afternoon Chris Sarandon in Dog Day Afternoon Dog Day Afternoon Chris Sarandon in Dog Day Afternoon Al Pacino in Dog Day Afternoon Al Pacino in Dog Day Afternoon
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Flixster Reviews (3,223)

  • SirPant
    September 7, 2009
    SirPant
    This is one of Sidney Lumet best. Pacino and Cazale are brilliant together and no one plays the desperate but understanding cop like Durning. A fantastic film. ATTICA! ATTICA! ATTICA! ATTICA!
  • RossCollinsUK
    March 27, 2009
    RossCollinsUK
    I just don't find 70s flicks very captivating or original these days...
  • KhrisP
    February 22, 2009
    KhrisP
    Classic! - One of a kind! - Pacino and his cohorts plan a simple bank robbery - which becomes a headliner al around the nation.



    "ATTICA! ATTICA!" - hehehe.... arguably one of Pacino's best performances, near the beginning of what is to be an illustrious career, just ...( read more)having made the Godfather and Serpico, this is first of its kind, a single location, single story movie which is an action comedy of sorts, and the best of its kind. Funny, slapstick and totally weird, how could we believe that this is actually a true story? It certainly is! How about the scene where the Pizza delivery boy helps Sonny in, and turns around and screams "Im a FCKING STAR!!" and jumps around.... lololz and a half. And what about the homosexuality thrown in, the whole point of the robbery was to get some money for Sonny's boyfriend to have a sex change operation. o_O???





    RIGHT. *ahem* LOLOLOLOLZ.



    It should have won best film and director (It went to Rocky I think) - the acting is great, the whole cinematography was excellent... I guess the reason why this movie excelled in all areas was that it was so simple, slightly twisted by ever so simple, simple to make and produce into a cinema classic, which to date hasnt been bettered or remade. (I hope they dont)





    This was great to watch, no special effects, no fancy stuff, just good hardcore old school acting, the movie being led along by its stellar performances, humor and twists and turns. When you thought it couldnt get stranger, it certainly does.





    XD
  • middleeasternfilms
    February 3, 2009
    middleeasternfilms
    I wasn't too sure of what to expect from this film at first. Action? Drama? Comedy? In truth, it's all three, an early satire before Natural Born Killers came along twenty years later. Pacino is magnificent in it, not over the top like he usually is and John Cazale is steady as h...( read more)is calm, but maniacal sidekick. Not a classic per se, but certainly spawned a memorable catchphrase. Attica! Attica!
  • garyX
    January 9, 2009
    garyX
    In the summer of 1972, a Vietnam veteran and an old comrade attempted to rob a Brooklyn bank so he could afford to pay for a sex change operation for his gay lover. When the heist goes awry, the situation soon degenerated into a media circus. This story is definitely a case of fa...( read more)ct being stranger than fiction because bizarrely, this is based on a true story. Another classic thriller from Sidney Lumet's long career, this also is one of Al Pacino's defining performances but as is the case with a lot of his work, it's a bit of a one man show. The one note format (unavoidably so because of the source material) really just consists of Pacino talking to the hostages-talking to the police-talking to the hostages etc etc through til the end. All the best scenes involve him dealing with his "family", namely his amusingly awful wife, having his mother talk about embarrassing personal details literally in front of the whole world, and a great turn from Chris Sarandon as his hysterical gay lover. Everyone else, even John Cazale as his partner, gets side-lined and I think this is the only real flaw in the film. That and because the story is told from the point of view of the hostage takers rather than the police, although it does give a familiar story a slightly different spin, it removes a lot of the tension from the situation as you never really feel like the hostages are in any danger. If there was a little more dialogue between Al and some more fleshed out characters, it would have had a little more emotional involvement for the viewer. Having said that, it's still a fascinating period piece, especially considering its roots as a true story and a must for all fans of Pacino.
  • aaroncalander
    November 2, 2009
    aaroncalander
    Definitely one of the best bank robbery/hostage films to ever be made. Sidney Lumet's masterful direction and Al Pacino's impassioned performance combine to create a near perfect film. The fact that Pacino's character Sonny robs the bank to get money for his gay lover's sex chang...( read more)e operation adds to the complexity of the character and raises a number of moral issues. How can you dislike a film in which the bank robber becomes the victim and society the true villain? An unforgettable 1970's classic.
  • morosed
    November 1, 2009
    morosed
    Another perfect role for Al Pacino
  • killantzb4itzl8
    October 29, 2009
    killantzb4itzl8
    The cast made this film.
    It will always be memorable for the improvisations of Al Pacino and John Cazale.

    Sonny: So what country do you want to go to?
    Sal: Wyoming.
    Sonny: Sal, Wyoming's not a country.

    Sonny: Kiss me.
    Det. Sgt. Eugene Moretti: What?
    Sonny: Kiss me. When I'm ...( read more)being fucked, I like to get kissed a lot.
  • jackgbowman
    October 28, 2009
    jackgbowman
    Made Pacino a household word
  • ElCochran90
    October 20, 2009
    ElCochran90
    "Attica! Attica!"

    Dog Day Afternoon (1975)


    Director: Sidney Lumet
    Country: United States of America
    Genre: Crime / Drama / Thriller
    Length: 125 minutes

    ...( read more)/ElCochran90/Decorated%20images/?action=view¤t=52885789ek7.jpg" target="_blank">Photobucket

    Eighteen years after his best and most outstanding and iconic masterpiece 12 Angry Men (1957), Sidney Lumet makes an awesome and unforgettable comeback, once he had left clear he was still in the direction business back in 1973, when he made Serpico (1973), starring also Al Pacino. This film, which is his second best masterpiece in my opinion with Network (1976) as a close third, is the definition of ultimate stylish and realistic suspense. Loosely based on true events that took place 3 years before, on August 22nd, this film becomes one of the most respectable and legendary American masterpieces of the crime genre.

    First-time crook Sonny plans and executes a bank robbery in the First Savings Bank of Brooklyn along his friend Sal so he can fund the sex change operation of his male lover, Leon. However, the bank robbers end up being amusingly amateur and innefective, and what should have taken 10 minutes is finally extended for the whole day and inevitably turned into a circus for the press, the police and the local population that, hilariously, build empathy towards the main character. Besides, Sonny finds that the money had already been taken out of the bank, gathering a ridiculous amount of money. Sonny must now find the most appropriate method of getting out of there safely without killing any of the workers he has held as hostages. The film received 6 Academy Award nominations including Best Writing, Original Screenplay, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Film Editing, Best Director and Best Picture, winning only the first Oscar. Although One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) was a better film that year and had the best leading performance, it had not the best direction. Even so, this film got the recognition it deserved.

    Whether we are in different filming locations or in a single closed space, Lumet knows how to effectively build suspense in an increasing way. Just like 12 Angry Men (1957) focused in a courtroom, Dog Day Afternoon (1975) takes place mostly inside the bank, leaving a huge room for superior character development. Al Pacino gives away one of his best performances ever, and thanks to his talent he makes of his character a very complete and interesting one, which leads to the conclusion that if the role had fallen into the hands of another actor, he would have possibly portrayed a boring and less hyperactive and unique character. John Cazale was brilliant as the uninspired, hopeless friend Sal, which remarkably contrasts Sonny's personality.

    This film is mostly influenced by a great screenplay. Although some genius parts were improvised, like Sonny's conversation with his wife, Frank Piersen did an extraordinary job adapting Dog Day Afternoon from the magazine articles written by P.F. Kluge and Thomas Moore. It is not easy to build suspense and constant tension in such a typical situation for a crime film: a bank robbery. The editing is fantastic; therefore, its Oscar was robbed. It was hyperactive, and yet it was well-timed and emotionally inspiring and tense. The pace is sometimes fast and sometimes slow, but the mix of rhythms worked perfectly. If thrilling sequences have to be made, they are made. If emotional and not-cliched scenes have to be portrayed throughout, they are portrayed without being monotonous and tedious. If this film must be described with an important term, I would use the adjective "influential". Several crime films were inspired by this film, from the famous blockbuster The Negotiator (1998) to the low-budget piece of garbage Pups (1999).

    Dog Day Afternoon is a triumphant masterpiece in every single aspect, and although people may already know the story since this was a famous case back in the 70's and, therefore, know the ending as well, it is about the plot's development, the unique and talented direction, the underlying moments of undeniable human emotions and the lack of preparation towards intense and critical real-life situations. It is about Al Pacino, who nicely steals the show with the famous Attica line, among the endless number of memorable quotes spoken by the characters, and above all, it is about its magic born from the writing and Lumet's ability to literally transport the audience to the screen.

    88/100

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Critic Reviews

October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Lumet is exploring the clichés, not just using them. full review

View more Dog Day Afternoon reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments

  • Zekko568
    April 30, 2007
    Zekko568
    I recommend anybody to run and grab this movie. Its the best their was and the best thir is.
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