An Amazing cautionary tale of a miscalculated bank robbery.

Rating: 8/10 (8 March 2016)

The best thing this film has to offer is, undoubtedly, Al Pacino's authentic performance, and his very well-written character, Sonny Wortzik. ALTHOUGH, the best part is also the cause of the worst: next to Pacino MOST other performances felt mundane. There were important scenes, while still great, would've been far more impactful had both actors been on the same level, rather than just being carried by one.
Now I did emphasize "most", because there was an exception: Mulvany played by Sully Boyar. Boyar delivered a solid supporting performance, and while others beside Pacino felt bland, Boyar was able to play off of him very well and vice versa; The acting and dialogue during their intense confrontation scenes were Electrifying! -- Not really important, but Boyar was totally snubbed. Chris Sarandon (Leon) was okay (I guess), but he was not worthy of a Best Supporting Actor nom, Boyar was though.--
Anyways, in addition to Pacino's and Boyar's great performances, the film is successful at getting you to understand the criminals. By showing you Sonny's struggles, altruism, and possible mental disorder (PTSD), you're able to sympathize with, worry, and in a way root for him. There were moments throughout the film where I found myself actually becoming annoyed with the police's slick attempts at trying to capture Sonny, AND THEY'RE THE GOOD GUYS! More credit needs to be given to Sidney Lumet, whose craftsmanship was Excellent! Every new complication that arose felt organic, the developed relationship between the hostages and robbers felt believable, and the characters actions felt reasonable; nothing felt contrived.
So, aside from a few uninspired performances, this film is pretty freakin' fantastic. While other bank robbery films make robbing banks out to be sexy, it's pretty refreshing and unique, to me at least, to see how one can go wrong. It's a pretty great deterrent.