Does Loving a Transvestite Make You Gay?

Rating: 5/10 (8 March 2006)

As with other films on the Top 250 list, I often find myself asking, "Is this picture ranked too high or not high enough?" In the case of "Lord of the Rings", the answer is they're ranked way too high. And "Dog Day Afternoon", while not a bad film, seems a bit odd to be ranked so high (although most Pacino fans would disagree).
The movie is a telling of the true story of a man and his friend who rob a bank to try to get funds for a very just cause. I won't say what that cause is, because this is what makes the film really interesting. Al Pacino is the perfect bank robber. This should be no surprise, as Pacino is great in basically everything he does ("Scent of a Woman", "Scarface", "Gigli"). And pairing him with his "Godfather" co-star seems a logical choice.
If you want an emotional film where you sympathize with the bank robber, this is your film. It's hard to be against Sonny (Pacino). At points, he even had the crowd and media outside the bank cheering him on.
With all this praise, you're wondering why I doubt it's a Top 250 film. And the simple answer is pacing. This film takes place 99% of the time in a bank, in one room. Very little happens in this room. So, what we saw in 2 hours could have been trimmed to 90 minutes without really losing anything, in my opinion. There is a fine line between "suspense" and "waiting around". Also, this film has no music or background sound. That makes the pacing seem even slower than it already is.
But it's still a good movie. And if you like Al Pacino, at some point you really must watch this movie because there's never going to be one like it again. Recommended for Pacino fans, and preferably you shouldn't watch it alone.