An intense situation that really happened

Rating: 10/10 (25 September 2006)

*Dog Day SPOILERS*
In 1972, Sonny Wortzik (Al Pacino) robbed a bank with two accomplices, one of which ran away soon after the beginning, and the other being Sal (John Cazale).
The reason was getting enough money to permit to Leon Shermer (Chris Sarandon), Sonny's lover, to have the sex-change operation he needs, but what was intended to be a quick 'in-and-out' soon morphs into a hostage situation.
The strange thing? The hostages are barely forced to do anything; Sonny actually cares for them - asks for food, calls for aspirines and a doctor when two of them fall ill... you really end up caring for the hostages and for the robbers, to the point where, when the 'happy end' arrives you can't help but feel bad for what happens to Sonny and Sal.
Based on a true story, this movie, directed by Sidney Lumet, whose genius brought us movies such as '12 Angry Men', is the heist movie that dwarfs them all, especially because what happens on screen has actually happened, even though the names have been changed (Sonny's name was John Wojtowicz, and Leon's was Edward Aron, then Liz Eden).
Al Pacino gives an outstanding performance, Chris Sarandon is very effective in his Academy Award Nominated part, and you also get a strong supporting cast in Cazale, Charles Durning (Liutenant Moretti), James Broderick (the FBI Agent in charge) and Lance Henricksen (Agent Murphy).
As for the rest, the idea of not having any soundtrack except for 'Amoreena', which is the song you hear in the opening is dead on, the direction is great and everything flows in the best way.
Dog Day Afternoon: 10/10.