We've all had one of those days.

Rating: 8/10 (11 July 2018)

'Dog Day Afternoon (1975)' is ahead of its time in multiple ways, not least of which being the honest and forward-thinking depiction of its openly gay protagonist and his transgender partner that somehow rivals what's seen on screen today. The internal struggle of our hero is portrayed very well, nuanced and subtle, as he tries to come to terms with his sexuality and lashes out in frustration, desperate to be heard as those he knows either ignore him or blame him for their own problems. The bank heist itself is rendered incredibly realistically, with the improvised fumbling of our robbers matching their lack of professionalism and adding to a tense air of unpredictability. Its quick escalation soon makes an uncomfortably tight situation downright claustrophobic. Each slow yet ever increasingly suspenseful moment adds to the last to create a bizarre stalemate that seems as though it could last for hours and yet will have one inevitable conclusion, a conclusion you don't want to happen because you've come to truly care for the perpetrators even if you know they're the ones in the wrong. Pacino gives perhaps his best performance to date and it is backed up by some phenomenally naturalistic direction, as well as brilliant supporting performances and a great (if heavily improvised upon) screenplay. It's all exciting, affecting and entertaining stuff, even at its slowest. 8/10