Movie: Dog day afternoon (1975)
Cast: Al Pacino, Penelope Allen, John Cazale, Charles Durning
Directed By: Sidney Lumet
Rating: ****
Ideal for a lazy Sunday afternoon, the film is about a man who breaks into a bank on a hot summer afternoon in the New York City with his friend to rob money for his boyfriend’s sex change operation. But the plot doesn’t seem as simple as the robbery that was to take ten minutes with an overturn of events shoots up to ten hours. Inspired by P.F. Kluge’s article “The Boys in the Bank,” Sonny and his partner Sal who barge into the bank with the motive of robbing it realize that the bank has cleared for the day.
With a challenging phone call from Mr. Moretti, an inspector, Sonny is challenged to stay in the bank and ensure he leaves the place safe and sound. What follows is a series of subtle comic events. Sonny brings the city to a halt almost with his demeanor. The film also subtly talks about issues like homosexuality which was then not widely accepted in the US, unemployment and the barbarism of the police department.
Possibly one of those cases where the robbers rob everything but money—From people’s time to slot of Live TV to the police department’s patience.
The setting is around the bank and the events that take place within and around the bank. The constant phone calls between Mr. Moretti and Sonny are one of the best scenes in the film. Especially because it is the 70s and with land lines and big dial phones it increases the tension between the characters.
While all the characters seamlessly fit into their respective roles, Penelope Allen who plays a bank employee does a neat role of balancing all the other bank employees and the robbers. Al Pacino who plays Sonny shows multi shades of a human. From being the caring husband to the irritated and obsessed boyfriend—I particularly loved the phone conversation that he has with his boyfriend, for whom he robs the bank.
The movie seemed like a natural extension of the 70s life where a bank robbery suddenly becomes the highlight of the days for all the various reasons but the robbery. Watch the film for powerful performances and the humor of the cast of the film.
Review by Nivedita N
