"I'm robbing a bank because they got money here. That's why I'm robbing it."

Rating: 7/10 (4 May 2007)

It was supposed to be quick robbery  go in, steal the money and get out of there. However, from the moment that Sonny Wortzik (Al Pacino) and Sal Naturile (John Cazale) step into the Chase Manhattan Bank in Brooklyn, New York City, their well-laid plans begin to unfurl. Within just minutes, the bank is surrounded by a "militia" of policemen and FBI agents, accompanied by a curious crowd of onlookers and a scurry of eager television journalists. With nine hostages as his only bargaining tools, Sonny must think of a way of getting himself and Sal out of this situation alive and free. But has he already come too far?
'Dog Day Afternoon' is based on a real-life incident. On August 22 1972, John Wojtowicz, Salvatore Antonio Naturile and a third unknown accomplice attempted to rob a bank on the corner of East Third Street and Avenue P in Gravesend, Brooklyn. The eventual result of the real-life siege is best left unknown for those who are yet to see the film, but certainly director Sidney Lumet and screenwriter Frank Pierson took a certain artistic license with some of the film's events, which have been described by one significant person at the scene as "only 30% true." Nonetheless, this very same person praised the performances of Al Pacino and Chris Sarandon (as Sonny's "wife," Leon) as being accurate.
Al Pacino is superb in this movie. Fresh off the phenomenal success of 'The Godfather (1972),' 'Serpico (1973)' and 'The Godfather: Part 2 (1974),' Pacino truly was on his way to becoming one of the most outstanding performers of his generation, and his turn as Sonny Wortzik is most definitely no exception. Strong performances from his 'Godfather' co-star John Cazale, Chris Sarandon, Charles Durning, James Broderick and Sully Boyar make this a solidly-acted film.
Lumet's decision to keep the film largely free of any musical score was a good decision, and certainly added to the realism of the plot. However, the one exception  Elton John's 'Amoreena' during the opening credits  simply didn't sit well with the tone of the remainder of the film, and he would probably have been best to leave it out. Also, though many of the film's scenes prove extremely riveting, there were certainly times when I noticed my attention somewhat wavering. Sonny's lengthy (and apparently improvised) telephone conversation with his "wife" Leon was one example of this  though it was definitely important to the story, and certainly showed off the skills of the two actors involved, I simply thought that it brought the film's steadily mounting suspense to a grinding halt.