Depressing in a positive way. One of the best films of all time.

Rating: 10/10 (7 March 2010)

I can't believe it haven't commented this one. It's one of my all time favorite films. I've seen it many times but it always demonstrates me that I have still plenty to learn from it.
Bank robberies are situations that scare normal people. This particular robbery is filled with tension, black humor, strange relationships that emerge from the sudden, displays of power (mental, political, manipulation, etc.).
This film always makes me feel nervous, tense, depressed but in a positive way. How is that? Well, it makes me reason about life overall. Your goals, your position in society, opportunities overall, and how sometimes goals are difficult to reach and make you do extreme things.
The performance by Al Pacino is simply amazing, literally amazing. It amazed me the fact that he shows desperation, loyalty, believes in his ideas, greed, believes in his fictional future, suffers because of the fact that his male lover is in pain, shows desperation when he still believes he can escape... And when everything is lost, through the lines "don't shoot" he demonstrates MANY emotions at the same time. Masterful performance.
John Cazale deserved an Oscar nomination for his nerve tensing acting. He looked scared, depressed, but at the same time angry and decided to reach his goal at all costs. He was the FBI's target because he was a very dangerous man.
Mr. Broderick also delivers a fine, underrated performance. His display as the tactic, intelligence FBI agent is great. The man has a strong temper and a cool behavior when negotiating. Charles Durning is also great as always. He plays cops like no other! Sidney Lumet is a wonderful director. He creates an uncomfortable vibe because of the violent events and tense negotiations.
The Direction is fantastic. It has this grainy and depressing look mainly because of the setting and the splendid cinematography. The absence of music/score makes it an almost theatrical feature. The dialogs are great, menacing, humorous.
They just don't make movies like this anymore. This is one of the best thrillers of all time.
After the shocking climax, you can't feel but stay quiet for some minutes after the end credits roll in the airport...
A unique visual experience.