Review of Dog Day Afternoon (1975) by Cameron H — 30 Dec 2016

On Al Pacino's cocksure performance alone, Dog Day Afternoon is worth your time. As for how the real story of his character -- a mediocre bank robber turned local TV star of the day -- is told, picture a freshly sharpened knife being used over the course of several years, still sharp enough to cut but noticeably duller.

Director Sidney Lumet and screenwriter Frank Pierson search to agree on a single point of view, as they examine different dimensions to the day-long tale. And in many isolated scenes, they really are on point when it comes to media scrutiny, crowd mentality, contemporary relations with authority figures, etc.

Speaking of contemporary times, you gotta give some credit to the two for detailing a truthful relationship between Sonny (Pacino) and his to-be-transsexual wife Leon (Chris Sarandon). Sonny knows how to play a show, and so does Pacino.

There is a catch to empathizing for Sonny, under Lumet's vision. By the ending, we lose some of the important context that Sonny and his partner Sal (John Cazale) have been holding several people as hostages for the entirety of the day, outright saying to each other that, if necessary, they are ready to kill.

This is intentional for the final twist to come out of nowhere, and in its execution, a job well done. Who do I care about then? Hostages, certainly, I want them to be safe. The police, fuck them. The FBI, goddamn, fuck them! The bank robbers, um.

.. They deserve punishment, but be easy on them...? A good true story to snag, with great dark humour bolstered by Pacino, but, if Lumet wanted to complete his analysis on small felony justice, he may have fared better by taking inspiration from the story instead.