Dog Day Afternoon

Based on a true 1972 story, Sidney Lumet's 1975 drama chronicles a unique bank robbery on a hot summer afternoon in New York City. Shortly before closing time, scheming loser Sonny (Al Pacino) and his slow-witted buddy, Sal (John Cazale), burst into a Brooklyn bank for what should be a ...more

Shooting on location in New York, Sidney Lumet and Oscar-winning writer Frank Pierson maintain an objective view of a potentially exploitative story, grasping both the human comedy of an absurd situation and the utter seriousness of what's at stake. Sonny and Sal are not so much stereotypical figures of ridicule as they are lost souls at the mercy of forces beyond their control and comprehension. Yet they are not romanticized; neither cops nor robbers come off well. Dog Day Afternoon found a ...more