MY REVIEW: A Crazy Day!!

Rating: 7/10 (9 March 2014)

Dog Day Afternoon. Based on a real incident which happened in Brooklyn, New York, Sonny played by the acting maestro Al Pacino robs a bank to pay for his lover's operation; it turns into a hostage situation and a media circus. The whole story claimed to be real always seems so unconvincing like hostages playing with the gun of Sonny, public cheering for Sonny, cops never seem too serious about the situation and so on. But what keeps you glued till the end is the unpredictable nature of events and remarkable performance by Al Pacino. His expressions, dialogs and whole persona is just irresistible. Supporting actors; John Cazale playing the eccentric crime partner and Charles Durning playing the brave cop who has to negotiate with Sonny before FBI takes over do their part quite right. Sidney Lumet tries hard to keep you engaged but story losses its juice because of lack of back story and a rushed climax. Nevertheless, watch it once for its unpredictability and Al Pacino's powerhouse performance.