Review of Dog Day Afternoon (1975) by Andy S — 16 Dec 2012

I knew (before watching) that this film had had its fair share of critical acclaim and I was keen to give it a look. Thereâ(TM)s something in the title that conjures a picture in my mind of a violent bank siege; boy was I in for a surprise! It is most definitely not what I was expecting⦠so slow I had to keep checking my pulse to see if I was still alive! Donâ(TM)t get me wrong, Iâ(TM)m all for a slow paced taught drama, but this one didnâ(TM)t really work for me. Iâ(TM)ll tell you why after this very brief summary.

When Sonny (Al Pacino) and Sal (John Cazale) rob a bank in Brooklyn on August 22nd 1972 they get more than they bargained for. Based on a true story, the events of the day slowly unfold. The men take too long getting out and find themselves trapped in the bank with several hostages. The manager, Mulvaney (Sully Boyar) is very cooperative, as is the chief teller, Sylvia (Penelope Allen); even so, the police are soon in touch in the guise of Moretti (Charles Durning). What follows is the usual thing; promises made in return for a hostage or two. Before they know it there are large crowds outside and the whole thing has become a media circus with Sonny even being interviewed by phone live on the air! As all this is going on we learn more about Sonnyâ(TM)s life and his motivations for committing this crime. As things progress the FBI takes over the negotiations in the form of Sheldon (James Broderick). He is much more with the programme and events begin to move more quickly. Is there a way out for these men though?

Quite a daring film for its day, showing events almost exclusively from the point of view of the robbers. There seems to be a little Stockholm Syndrome going on where the hostages begin to identify with their captors, but this isnâ(TM)t explored too closely. All the performances are very good with Pacino doing some of his very best scenery chewing with Cazale consequently playing it down and very understated (I liked that). It didnâ(TM)t work for me though because I never bought into the stories we learn about Sonny; itâ(TM)s him the film concentrates on mostly. He seems quite savvy when it comes to banks and police/FBI procedures and yet still panics when the police first arrive. I never had any connection with for either of the robbers and so found it quite a bumpy road to go down. Having said that I thought it was well made but certain scenes came across like a bit of an improvised scene in an acting class. I doubt Iâ(TM)d watch it again, but at least itâ(TM)s another I can cross off â~The Listâ(TM).

SteelMonsterâ(TM)s verdict: RECOMMENDED (â¦just).

My score: 6.1/10.