knoxsw I love this film. It was one of the first I ever saw when I really started getting into movies. It's got incredibly strong performances from the great Al Pacino and the late John Cazale (What a great catalog of films he had in his tragically short career) they're both amazingly gifted people. It's also still incredibly provocative, the idea of gay marriage is still fairly stigmatized, let alone the complex dynamics at work in Dog Day Afternoon. Perhaps what bothers me most about this film, though, is the fact that it's always bouncing in and out of the 250th spot of the top 250, it's so good! It deserves a permanent spot!

bowmanblue Perhaps if you sat down to watch 'Dog Day Afternoon' you may come away claiming that it's totally unbelievable to be a good film. I might have done if it weren't for the fact that I was alerted to it being based on a true story by someone else. It's about a bank robbery in the seventies that was carried out in broad daylight. It's safe to say that it would be a pretty bland film if everything went according to plan. However, in this case, nothing went according to plan and it was a total mess from beginning to end. That's what makes it such a damn good film (well, that and Al Pacino). Pacino plays the lead robber (well, out of the two of them) who managed to bungle his way through raiding a bank and taking hostages at the same time. Of course his ineptitude means that the police have plenty of time to show up and Pacino is forced to hold out in the bank with little idea of how to escape a secure building surrounded by marksmen. The film clearly rests on his shoulders and, as the majority of his performances show, he can more than handle the responsibility (which is probably more than can be said for his character!). He clearly enjoyed himself on set and much of the dialogue ended up being improvised as he almost becomes institutionalised over the period of a matter of hours, before almost succumbing to the brief stint as 'minor celebrity' that his dodgy deed affords him. There are a few twists and turns which I won't go into for fear of giving plot points away, although I will say that it's an interesting commentary on the issues of the time and would be equally interesting if something like this happened today - I'm guessing plenty of #bankheists would be posted from bemused onlookers. If you're in any way a fan of bank robbery/heist movies, or just a fan of Al Pacino then you really have to watch this. It is a little long and may have benefitted from a harsher editor here and there, but apart from that, it stands the test of time.

Coventry "Dog Day Afternoon" definitely belongs in the category of: "this must be based on a true story, otherwise it's completely implausible". The idea of a failed and amateurishly executed bank heist turning into an absurd media-circus and a giant metaphor for overkill situations in recent American history, I can still believe. But the crazy revelation that the whole scheme was thought up because money was needed for the sex-change operation of the homosexual robber's lover, well… that is so surreal and far-fetched that it simply has to be true! If any aspiring scriptwriter would present this type of idea to a random producer, he/she wouldn't receive a single penny for it. But you know what? The biggest accomplishment of writer Frank Pierson, director Sidney Lumet and – of course – the phenomenal actor Al Pacino – is that they managed to keep the essence of the story rather small and personal. All the socially relevant themes are downgraded to mere sub plots while the private story of Sonny is gradually put forward. He's intelligent but insecure, anxiety-ridden and utterly self-destructive. The way Al Pacino depicts him is righteously referred to as one of the most powerful and persuasive performances in the history of cinema. John Cazale gives away a nearly as impressive performance as Sal, the somewhat simple but loyal partner-in-crime, although obviously less expressive and energetic than Pacino.

Kingslaay Great directing, exceptional acting, the right dose of humor and a great story make a winning combination. This is unlike a bank robbery you have ever seen and years before numerous directors made films about bank robberies. Pacino and John Cazale hit this film out of the park. Their stellar performances make this film iconic, I am not sure if any other actors could have had the same impact. Essentially we see a bank robbery that is badly planned turn into a media circus. After seeing the unstable and excited personalities of Pacino we understand why. For a film that escalates and a situation that increasingly grows out of control it flows perfectly. You are carefully taken through a chain of events. The humor is also brilliantly done and also flows effortlessly as to not take away the drama and intensity of the robbery. The unplanned robbery, virtually no money being robbed and the unlikely bonding with their captors endears the bank robbers to the audience. You want them to succeed and possibly root for their escape. Despite the circus and things going out of control it appears the duo will succeed as the film nears its end. The film also delivered some shocking moments. I had the same expression as Al Pacino's character at the end of the film. Al Pacino steals the show with his fits of rage, expressions and always being on the edge. This film is highly recommended, 8.5/10