A fascinating study of criminal behaviour, police action and reaction and media invasion; "Dog Day Afternoon" is the epitome of the crime genre

Rating: 10/10 (29 July 2010)

One of the three primary themes of Dog Day Afternoon is a study of criminal behaviour. Taking Sonny Wortzik (performed exquisitely by Al Pacino), the protagonist and lead character involved in the bank robbery of the plot, as the sole representation of the 'criminal' – the crime follows conventions that apply to reality more so than film in general; plan, operation, getaway – the film skips plan, heads straight for operation and gets stuck before getaway; with the events occurring unbeknownst to the characters' expectations, despite their ability. Sonny is not a cliché – a character motivated by greed and ruthless compassion but rather a man with an understanding of the system and his place in it – that being he needs to bark attention his way to be a part of it, or at least, get a share, if not fair. The main factor is how common morality affects the criminal sense of communication and compromise in order for a successful operation. This is demonstrated by the key art of intimidation they need to force upon the civilians in order to get what they want, except in this film, many issues interrupt their threatening attempts such as the hostages needing to go to the bathroom and Sonny with his accomplice Sal (played by an edgy John Cazale, an actor of which could be considered to have the greatest filmography of all-time) obliging to these miniscule demands. One of the first ideas presented are acts of bravery; contrasting the criminal with the hostage, during the first few moments of the robbery one of the accomplices (of which we never see again) chooses to coward out – in doing so, he appears to lose all rational thought and makes illogical decisions whilst the bank manager remains calm and follows procedure. By giving this initial impression, it enhances all the pressures that later take place. There's even an instance in which Sal sharply threatens the hostages and gets taken aback by their screams. Even though there is a prominence of the artillery in the film with both the criminals and police, rarely being a scene without one – two shots in total are fired; both having significant impact among everyone.
The iconic scene and most important quote in Dog Day Afternoon is Pacino screaming "Attica" in the street. This scene pretty much sums up everything the film stands for as Sonny riles up the crowd. But mostly a study of police reaction and action involving co-operation – as in Attica, of which was a real event, police killed 42 guilty and innocent people. Sonny understands their routine and how much they value a crime – and due to how much he knows, he refuses to trust them even more, especially the chance of unpredictability within their compromises – expertly contrasted with the compromises Sonny and Sal make with the hostages in the bank, concerning their safety. Blending the images with a montage of footage between the police and criminals, it's revealed that their motives are not too different, in an effort for credibility. There are two representative figures of the police; Moretti (Charles Durning) and Sheldon (James Broderick) – both of which use methods of intimidation much like Sonny and Sal; even coming to a point where Sonny recognizes the limits the police will go since the event has an audience he can abuse and alter their intentions; such as using no weapons to get some officers to move back. The entire power Sonny has gained is entirely blamed on the police – and this frustrates the police during their negotiation. It proposes the suggestion that irrational behaviour is only acceptable within the system, ignoring emotional disposition whilst doing everything to retain a sense, even if false, of professionalism and control.
Media plays the most important part as to why these events are significant – or enough to base a film on it. If it weren't for the media, these events would be irrelevant. The media completely invades the situation. In the second act, there's a subplot that centres completely on Sonny and his personal life – involving both his spouses; one a man and one a woman. This bisexuality allows the media to blow the discovery completely out of proportion, making the crime seem motivated by this preference – to the point where they claim that there are two homosexuals robbing the bank (Sal of course, resents this statement) which has the consequence of gaining a crowd of gay rights activists, almost with the idea that Sonny's criminal action is stimulated by this (as the chant "out of the closets and into the streets" comes from). The media considers these proceedings as nothing more than entertainment, without a care of whom or what gets hurt just as long as it gets ratings – even prompting Sonny to go ahead and kill the hostages. It's even demonstrated in how the paparazzi immediately and physically intervene, trying to grasp full on interviews as soon as possible. This is also expanded as to how the public – or the live audience – reacts to Sonny and his actions, celebrating and encouraging him, especially in a scene where he throws some money out to the crowd, almost completely making his bank robbery attempt seem utterly pointless. Also, aside from Sonny, every character that gets the slightest bit of attention gets a sense of euphoria and feels impressed with them for no real reason. And again, it's all the media's fault – and this applies to real-life situations as shown by how the news mentions negative stories far more regularly than positive ones; or at least, as the cliché suggests.
10/10