Not a masterpiece, but powerful filmmaking for sure

Rating: 8/10 (19 November 2013)

The first half is quite a bit better than the second half, but the fact remains that this is a very good movie. It's filled with suspense and tense situations throughout. Al Pacino is absolutely incredible in this movie. It's really him that makes the movie so good. He's a desperate man, who happens to be a bit of a lost soul. His wife is extremely self centered and controlling, and he has another "lover" It might just be the performance of his career, which is truly saying something, considering how illustrious it is. It has some really controversial stuff going on. Taboo subjects such as "sex change" among other things. I loved Charles Durning in this as well. His battle with Al Pacino is very riveting and great entertainment. I was really disappointed when his character disappeared a bit in the second half, because that's when things began to falter. We also get a painfully dull phone conversation with Al Pacino and his lover. It's much too long, and they should have trimmed that call a bit, because my mind began to wander. We don't have any real heroes in this movie. Al Pacino isn't exactly a "hero" and I didn't really warm up to any of the hostages, either. John Cazale is probably the person I empathized with the most as Sal. Lance Henriksen has a memorable part as Murphy. This is Pacino's movie and he absolutely nails it. The finale is rather conventional, but extremely well done and exciting. This movie is not without issues, but still a powerful experience. Al Pacino has rarely been better. It's a must see for film buffs
8.3/10