Stranger Than Fiction

Rating: 9/10 (16 January 2019)

In order to be taken seriously, fiction has to operate within certain parameters that don't apply to fact-based stories and it's for this reason that the bizarre developments and incompetent criminals in "Dog Day Afternoon" actually become sources of fascination and amusement rather than incredulity and ridicule. The result is a drama that's utterly engrossing as well as being funny, tense and unpredictable. It's also, however, a character study of its complex main protagonist and a commentary on various aspects of public and media behaviour that also have the potential to affect the course of the events that they're watching.
On a hot summer afternoon in New York City, gang leader Sonny Wortzik (Al Pacino) and his accomplices Sal (John Cazale) and Stevie (Gary Springer) enter the "First Brooklyn Bank" just before closing time with the intention of robbing the place. Almost immediately, Stevie gets cold feet and leaves and Sonny and Sal hold the bank staff at gunpoint as they put their plan into action. They realise they've made a big mistake when they discover that there's very little cash in the vault and as a consolation, steal some travellers' cheques instead. Sonny, who had previously worked in a bank, knew that to cover their tracks, they'd need to destroy the bank's register and so he burns the documents in a waste-bin behind one of the counters. When people across the street see smoke escaping through a vent, the authorities get notified and the entire area is rapidly swamped with 250 armed cops, a street full of police cars and a police helicopter patrolling overhead. Everyone in the bank quickly realises that they've been propelled into a siege situation and Sonny receives a phone call from Detective Sergeant Moretti (Charles Durning) who attempts to bring the incident to a swift and peaceful conclusion.
Sonny starts to feel pressured by being responsible for his nine hostages and trying to devise a way to escape his predicament without any assistance from Sal who's not-too-bright at the best of times. Sonny readily releases the bank's asthmatic security guard when Moretti asks for a hostage to be released as a sign of good faith and tries to be attentive to the needs of his other hostages. Events escalate further when a large crowd gathers outside and the whole proceedings start to be transmitted live on TV. The crowd become sympathetic to Sonny and cheer when he comes out to negotiate with Moretti and he also becomes a media star after being interviewed on TV.
As the siege continues, it's revealed that Sonny is unemployed, divorced from the woman he married and attempted the bank robbery to pay for the gender-reassignment surgery that his current "wife" Leon (Chris Sarandon) is planning to undergo. He also promises that more hostages will be released if a plane can be provided to take him and Sal out of the country. The police agree to this demand but the tone of the negotiations changes markedly when Moretti stands aside for the FBI to take the lead in what follows.
As a study of human behaviour, this movie anticipates the popularity of reality TV shows, illustrates to how people respond to anyone (even a loser) who can work a crowd and illustrates how fickle public support can be by some of the chants that are directed at Sonny after it becomes known that he's bisexual.
This low budget "truth is stranger than fiction" tale is graced by consistently good performances from its entire cast and understandably became a huge box office success because of its offbeat story, its relatable characters and the sheer intensity that Al Pacino brought to his memorable portrayal of a basically decent guy who makes some very stupid decisions. The whole production is also brilliantly directed in a way that's unobtrusive and skilfully changes the atmosphere whenever the need arises.