Dog Day Afternoon Review

In his later years, Al Pacino would go on to topple performances like this in Jack and Jill or Righteous Kill, but there was a time when the leading man was on top of the world. There was no actor quite like Pacino for a good twenty years, and his films were consistently great. The Godfather trilogy (or at least the first two, anyway), and then later came the likes of Scarface, Glengarry Glen Ross, and Heat. Some of my favourite movies there, and even the ones I don’t particularly care for offer up more than their fair share of exciting moments, partly due to the credible talent of Pacino. Dog Day Afternoon is a film that wholly relies on Pacino’s charms and energetic leading performance, with this Sidney Lumet directed 70s piece all the better for it.

Following a sudden bank heist, Sonny Wortzik (Pacino) holds a handful of employee’s hostage, as he and unhinged armed robber friend Salvatore Naturale (John Cazale) frustrate themselves and those around them whilst playing to the hype of media attention. Wortzik’s motivation is obscured, shrouded in mystery until much later in the film. It makes for a rather interesting premise, and for most of Lumet’s piece, we see two men fumble their way through the tension of a bank heist without knowing what they’re there for. It keeps it all rather entertaining, with Pacino and Cazale dominating the first hour of Dog Day Afternoon. They both present a cockiness towards the face of ever-growing tension, but also an unhinged fear that provides depth and reasoning to their kneejerk reactions and responses.

Aside from Pacino’s show-stealing performance, there’s a plethora of pieces that make Dog Day Afternoon a captivating masterpiece. Charles Durning’s appearance as Detective Segreant Eugene Moretti is a great supporting piece, a role solely devoted to propping Pacino up, giving him the emotional range required to bring Sonny to life. Lumet’s direction often likes to focus in on the relationship Sonny has not just with his bank heisting crony, but with that of the public and detectives. He soon becomes a media storm, someone that grows to be a bigger story thanks to the rallying the public have for a vigilante. Extremely interesting as it may be, it does have the side-effect of making every other bank heist themed movie feel a tad underwhelming, with Pacino’s performance and popularity marking an invigorating lead role.

There’s little I can add to the heaps of praise Dog Day Afternoon has already received. The twists and turns are still as fresh and exciting as ever, the timeless performances and clean direction go hand in hand in providing a film that loses its footing a tad in its final half-hour, but by that point I was far too engaged and enthralled to care for those minor misgivings. Dog Day Afternoon stands out as Pacino’s finest hour, a must-see for anyone with even the slightest interest in Lumet and Pacino’s pairings.