Day 102 - Dog Day Afternoon

Day 102          Dog Day Afternoon [1975]

                          

Screenplay                    Frank Pierson

Based on                       ‘The Boys in the Bank’ (LIFE Magazine) by P.F. Kluge

Director                         Sidney Lumet

Cinematography            Victor J. Kemper

Leads                            Al Pacino, John Cazale, James Broderick, Charles Durning, Chris Sarandon, Penelope Allen, Sully Boyer

Production                     Artists Entertainment, Complex

IMDb                                8/10

Rotten Tomatoes               95%

I think I’ll have to eat my words about Al Pacino’s acting (Day 81). He gives an exquisite performance in this film about a bank robbery gone wrong. Sonny (Pacino) and Sal (Cazale) are not your average bank robbers. Although Sonny knows the tricks, having worked at a bank himself, he is still kind and courteous to the hostages that he is forced to take when the bank is surrounded by the NYPD. I won’t say too much more about the plot as part of the reason I enjoyed this film so much is that it slowly unravels itself up until the climax. It might therefore be a short review, but you’ll just have to trust my rating. There isn’t really any music, hence the low rating, but it isn’t at all needed. Kemper and Lumet keep us on the edge of our seats the whole way through with the camera heavily pointed at the electric Pacino. I want to elaborate more on why this movie is so good, but I don’t think I can without ruining it. I mean if you don’t believe me by now then I’m surprised you still read the blog.

Acting                            4 / 4

Writing                           4 / 4

Cinematography          3.5 / 4

Music                          1.5 / 4

HWF rating                4 / 4