It really is a classic

Rating: 7/10 (28 January 2019)

"Am I the only one who cares about this? I mean, at least I watched Dog Day Afternoon." So says Mena Suvari in the hilarious teen comedy Sugar and Spice when she and her fellow cheerleaders prepare to rob a bank. For years, that was my only knowledge of the famous '70s heist film, and for the sake of Mena, I finally decided to rent it.
To be honest, I really only watch heist movies if there's a handsome man among the cast. Guns and violence and certain imprisonment aren't my ideal story elements, because I'm not a testosterone-raging male. Dog Day Afternoon is one of the classic bank robbery movies, so if you do love this genre, you're going to want to make sure you've seen it. It's sure to satisfy all the men in the audience, and the ladies who love Al Pacino's gorgeous, feathery hairstyle.
While I was amused, decades after this movie's release, to see all the bits that are now famous-the gift-wrapped guns, "Attica," among others-I can imagine the tension felt while sitting in the theaters in 1975 as Al Pacino and John Cazele hold hostages inside the bank and their plans start unraveling. There's a reason this movie has become one of the standards all other heist movies are measured against: it's good. There's tension galore as the wild, emotional star of the '70s has to improvise to try and get away with his terrible crime, so perch yourself on the edge of your seat and don't get up for more popcorn.