A Great Realistic Look at Robbery

Rating: 9/10 (28 February 2015)

After seeing it on the big screen for the first time, one thing I took away from the film when I reflected on it was that this film is similar to early Spielberg works in a way.
What I mean by that is I read a book on interviews done with Spielberg, which touched on the idea that his early work revolved around stories where the media was involved somehow; the media looking at the event was an undertone of the film. In Dog Day Afternoon we get these aerial shots of Sonny outside the bank that captures what an event this was to the public - hundreds of extras as policemen, the media and the general public trying to catch a glimpse of the excitement of a bank robbery.
Sonny even becomes an icon to the public when he says he doesn't want people killed, and gets people in an uproar when he reminds them of a similar situation in Attica (I believe) a short time ago. We see the people's reactions change as it is revealed that he has homosexual lover; some give him hate but he draws the attraction of the gay community.
And these people aren't even inside with him as we are, missing out on how he acts in person. We see a performance by Pacino that cries out desperate and excitable in the best of ways. We see him stumble over problem after problem with the robbery, but he refuses to give up. He's a smart guy, having worked at a bank before, so it breaks him when his foolproof plan goes haywire in all sorts of directions.
John Cazale is also in this film, and from what I have seen him in I say that he is a very underrated actor; without saying much in the film he has to pull of his character with subtleties, not exaggerations, and he does this very well. His best scene in the film is when he is being accused of being a hypocrite since he thinks the body should be protected since it is god's temple, yet he is in the process of robbing a bank.
The film seems to drag at points with overly long sequences leading up to when transportation to an aircraft arrives for them. That doesn't mean these sequences lack content; there is a great moment when Sonny is making his will in case he dies before getting on a plane, but it feels like we wait half an hour between steps to his plan. Also, I was unimpressed by the actor who plays Sonny's lover.
My friend pointed out that this film is somewhat anti-climactic but I didn't really think a big climax was necessary for this film, though I get his point. This is a great work of art that makes me want to watch more of Lumet's work in the near future, such as 12 Angry Men or Before the Devil Knows You're Dead.