Not worth watching more than a quarter of the movie since I only watched half

Rating: 1/10 (3 June 2006)

This is the worst Al Pacino movie I've ever seen. It starts with little introduction, just some random shots of New York which have no relevance to the plot overall. Quickly, you find out that the characters are conducting a bank robbery, OK. Sure, the reason is revealed later, but at the beginning, you're looking for some kind of sense in the movie, and it's not to be found. Once the police come in, the movie seems to make even less sense, with the police being emasculated by Pacino's character, and surrounding crowd that supports a bank robber... it just doesn't make any sense, and it's quite hard to believe it was based on a true story. I guess Pacino's character was crazy at the time of this robbery, and that becomes quite plain, yet he's not really sympathetic or interesting, just crazy and bizarre. Even when he's nice and concerned with the hostages his character isn't sympathetic, because he doesn't come off as someone with a measure of sanity, and until the whole bit about his wife, you mind as well think there's no reason at all for his robbing the bank. Anyhow, I'll admit I only watched half of the movie, but that half was entirely monotonous, and a waste of an hour of my life.
I don't know why people think this movie is so great. Serpico, Scarface and others are much better.