Review of Dog Day Afternoon (1975) by Zack M — 12 Apr 2011

Short version: Sydney Lumet was a fantastic director, Pacino is brilliant in this, and the story is intensely engaging in creating a suspenseful environment and excellent portrayal of this true story. A fantastic heist-gone-wrong film.

Long version: I decided that since Lumet passed this week that I would catch up on some of the biggest critically acclaimed of his films (Network is next on the list). I can't believe it had to take his death in order for me to finally sit down to this brilliant film. It is so deserving of its praise. Literally every aspect of this film is top notch. The direction is noticeably the best part. Without Lumet at its helm this could be a claustrophobic bore since it is almost all shot indoors in small rooms, and yet it feels like an epic scale robbery film.

Aside from the direction creating a believable environment, everything from the script to the acting was superb. Pacino gives a knockout performance as the emotionally unstable robber who has all the right motives but pursues them without any logic. The viewer is sucked into this suspenseful emotional struggle which never paints either side as completely in the right. It's a classic piece of american crime drama which deserves to be seen by any film enthusiast.