Just when you thought it couldn't get any better...

Rating: 10/10 (5 January 2015)

Al Pacino and Sidney Lumet teamed up for the excellent corrupt cop drama SERPICO in the early '70s, and they followed that successful collaboration with DOG DAY AFTERNOON, the true story of a bank heist gone wrong on a sweltering New York afternoon in the 1970s. And, unsurprisingly, it turns out to be a top class production, one of those tough '70s classics that never grows old.
This review will be short because I don't want to spoil any of the plot, except to say that this is the best bank robbery thriller ever made. The whole film is a huge set-piece full of fantastic actors giving excellent performances; of the ensemble, it's clear that Pacino is the best in the shouty, showy role, but John Cazale also excels as his somewhat depressed partner in crime. Watch out for Charles Durning, Lance Henriksen, Chris Sarandon, and James Broderick in smaller, but crucial roles.
Of course, DOG DAY AFTERNOON isn't really a bank robbery film at all, instead a piece of left-wing social commentary exploring police tactics and brutality in the wake of the then-recent Attica prison massacre. Inevitably, the scenes with Pacino outside the bank are the highlights, but it all builds up to a truly gripping climax. This is a great film of its era that sits happily alongside the likes of THE GODFATHER, THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123, CHARLEY VARRICK and SERPICO as the best of its time.