Dog Day Afternoon

1975

2h 4m

IMDb RATING

7.8/10

3.2K

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99+ Images

Crime

Drama

Thriller

Based on the true story of would-be Brooklyn bank robbers John Wojtowicz and Salvatore Naturile. Sonny and Sal attempt a bank heist which quickly turns sour and escalates into a hostage situation and stand-off with the police. As Sonny's motives for the robbery are slowly revealed and things become more complicated, the heist turns into a media circus.

Directors

Sidney Lumet

Writers

Frank Pierson(screenplay by)

Leslie Waller(book by)

P.F. Kluge(book by)

Stars

Al Pacino

John Cazale

Charles Durning

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Videos10

Photos133

Top cast

Sonny

Sal

Moretti

Leon

Sheldon

Sylvia

Mulvaney

Margaret

Jenny

Deborah

Miriam

Maria

Howard

Edna

Stevie

Carmine

Murphy

Phone Cop

Directors

Sidney Lumet

Writers

Frank Pierson(screenplay by)

Leslie Waller(book by)

P.F. Kluge(book by)

All cast & crew

Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

User reviews2

Review

Featured review

7/10

**A good film, but not as memorable as some people say.** Director Sidney Lumet created this film based on a true incident that is still the subject of study by police cadets today: a homosexual who decides to rob a bank to pay for his partner's sex change, but who takes the manager and the employees as hostages when things get complicated, and desperately tries not to be killed or arrested by the policemen, who surround the place and try to control a maddened crowd, who are not sympathetic to the authorities. The film was made and released in 1975, and it could not be more appropriate to the time in which it was made: the great decade of civil disobedience, of challenge to authorities and the affirmation of the gay movement. I confess that I'm not quite aware of the real incident behind the script. For that reason, I prefer to focus on this very well done dramatization. In addition to the design of sets and costumes, and an intelligent choice of the filming location, the cinematography is very well executed, and the film has very good visual qualities. The pleasant pace is reasonably fast at first, but slows down midway through, perhaps emulating the back and forth of negotiations between the authorities and the clumsy robbers. And if history is a mirror of its time, the same can be said of the dialogues, where swear words are used with a liberality previously unthinkable. Although many consider this film a must-see, I honestly disagree. It's a must-see for fans of Al Pacino or Lumet, it will certainly be a good suggestion for a 70s film cycle, but that's basically it. It's a pretty good film, but it can hardly be classified as memorable. Al Pacino is a great actor and is experiencing a particularly happy moment in his career when he makes this film, but I have to recognize that he made several better films, before and after. Just think of “Godfather 3”, “Scent of a Woman” or “Devil’s Advocate”, to name a few. John Cazale is good in a more understated role, and Charles Durning and Chris Sarandon both deserve praise for a job well done.

FilipeManuelNeto14 Apr, 2024