Rating: 
Summary: A Bank Robbery Gone Terribly Wrong
Review: Without showing a trace of his icy performance as Michael Corleone in "The Godfather" parts 1 & 2, Al Pacino made a radical departure by playing a bisexual bank robber in "Dog Day Afternoon." Here's a hilarious (but apparently true) story about Sonny (Pacino) who stages a bank robbery to finance his lover's sex change operation. Within minutes, the attempted robbery heads for disaster, as the police and media surround the bank while Sonny holds the employees hostage for the entire day. Even after nearly 30 years, "Dog Day Afternoon" is a marvel to see. This film won a well-deserved 1975 Academy Award for its witty screenplay, and Pacino's performance ranks among his best. Unfortunately, those who are looking for a deluxe-edition DVD will be sorely disappointed with this release. The picture is incredibly grainy, with spots, hairs, and marks. The sound is 1-channel mono, instead of a 5.1 surround remix. But the biggest slap on the face is the virtual lack of features on this DVD: we don't even get a trailer. All we get are production notes. Movie buffs and Pacino diehards will pick this up, but everyone else should hold off, rent the film, and hope that Warner Bros. will release a special edition of this great movie.
Rating: 
Summary: One of best films of all time.
Review: Many say its a terrible movie without a point. I say its the best picture of 1975. Al pacino gives his greatest performance ever. On a hot Brooklyn afternoon, two optimistic losers(Al Pacino and John Cazale)set out to rob a bank. Sonny(Pacino)is the mastermind, Sal(Cazale)is the follower, and disaster is the result. Because the cops, crowds and even the pizza man have arrived, the wellplanned heist is now a circus. The film stole 6 academy award nominations including best picture, director, and actor.. Its a shame the academy failed to even notice the performance that was given by Charles Durning. He gave the best supporting role of 1975. The street scenes are brilliant. The cinematography is riveting. The robbery should have taken 10 minutes. 4 hours later, the bank was like a circus sideshow. 8 hours later, it was the hottest thing on live TV. 12 hours later, it was all history. And its all true.
Rating:
Summary: Great Followup to the Godfather
Review: After the Godfather, Godfather part II Pacino made Dog Day Afternoon. AL Pacino plays Sonny, a multi married man to both male and females who tires to rob a bank. Theres also John Cazlae, who is pacino's sidekick in the attempted robbery (who may remeber him as Fredo in Godfater's 1+2). They try to rob a bank at closing time but the cops are right across the street. The cops can't get to him because there are 11 hostages. A 5 minute event turns into a all day fun fest. There are tons of twists and turns along the way. This is a awsome movie and a must have but there are virtually no extras in this DVD edition, this classic deserves better than that.
Here's a little Godfather, Dog Day AfterNoon dejavue:
Godfather II= 1975, Dog Day= 1975
Godfather= Al Pacino, Dog Day= Al Pacino
Godfather= John Cazale, Dog Day= John Cazale
Godfather= Character named Sonny, Dog Day= Character named Sonny
Godfather= thevies , Dog Day= thevies
Godfather= John Cazale dies, Dog Day= John Calaze dies
Godfather= Police after them, Dog Day= Police after them
These movies aren't the same by a long shot but it sure seems that way.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Pacino Flick but a poor excuse for a dvd
Review: This an excellent Pacino flick who plays a bisexual bank robber who attempts to rob a bank to pay for his lover's operation and gets more than he bargained for it features uncle Junior of the Sopranos (Dominic Chianese) in one of his early roles. I give the flick 5 stars because it is an excellent flick but the dvd is awful the quality is bad and it has no extras. I hope this movie is rereleased on dvd . Movie is a must for pacino fans
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely brilliant filmmaking!
Review: This script is flawless. The mood in this movie is set from the start. The true story of the ludicrous bank robbery is one people really won't forget once seeing this movie. Al Pacino is mezmerizing as Sonny. His performance is so heartwrenching...you don't know how things are going to turn out, but you just want him to be able to finally breathe. And his good natured trusting mentality really skews our perspective of what crime really is. His sidewalk cries of "Attaca, Attaca" were inspired. The direction is stellar. Lumet at his finest sets the tone for the film using the everyday 70's atmosphere. If you haven't seen it, you're really missing out on an experience.
Rating:
Summary: one of the best films of the 70's
Review: Pacino gives one of the best performances by an actor ever. Then add to that a clever script, Great direction, and fantastic supporting characters and you have a classic. GREAT!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Best pacino movie, very good movie
Review: This movie is fun to watch, You can watch it again and again. The movie is really flowing . its like a big one man show . I think this movie is the base for blues brothers etc movies that came later, especially so many cops coming for just one man , most memorable is the crowd shouting and repeating lines.. genius work
Rating:
Summary: Al Pacino needs money
Review: True story details how two overly optimistic losers set out to rob a Brooklyn bank, and the resulting incident dominates all of NYC for a day. Sonny (Al Pacino) is desperate to raise money for his gay lover's sex change operation, and Sal (John Cazale) suggests that they flee the country by going to Wyoming. Sonny's dumpy wife, mother, his lover Leon (Chris Sarandon), the NYC police, the FBI, the gay community, and even the local pizza delivery guy all show up outside the bank. Inside the bank, Sonny finds a rapport with the hostages and comes up with a grand scheme to escape to Algeria. Dull-witted Sal however, is smart enough to realize that chances are nil that they're going to get out of this. Great performances all around, and we actually root for Sonny and Sal because we realize that besides being dumb, they're harmless. Masterfully shot on location, and it's a treat to watch Pacino work the crowd outside the bank. Look for a young Carol Kane and Phillip Charles MacKenzie.
Rating:
Summary: Al Pacino and Sidney Lumet at their best
Review: For some strange reason, I had not heard about this movie before I watched it recently more than 25 years after its release. Despite the fact that many of the incidents in the movie,like live coverage of a crime event, are no longer a novelty and in some senses you know what to expect in the end, this movie had me riveted throughout. Mr. Sidney Lumet makes you feel the sweat of that afternoon. You want to know what the next scene is and you would personally kill the theatre owner if the projector were to conk off in between. He does not need to infuse any more drama than there is already in the story and he does not try to. Mr. Lumet brings the"perpetrators" to life without fawning over them. Whether to empathize with them or not is left entirely to the viewer. I personally just accepted the two characters for what they were. A product of the society and times, a disaster waiting to happen. As Sonny says "It is on nobody" Mr. Al Pacino was just fantastic. Wow! He holds stage for the entire duration of the movie and you want more not less. "dda cops" in Brooklyn may have forgotten Sonny Wortzik and nobody may know "Attica" any more but anybody who has watched this movie will never forget Mr. Pacino's performance in it. Hats off. The screenplay, John Cazale as Sonny's accomplice and Charles Dunning as the cop were all marvellous. All in all a movie for your collection. A must watch. -RR
Rating: 
Summary: A Different Point of View
Review: Whereas I do admire Al Pacino's acting ability in A Dog Day Afternoon, the story just seems to drag on for too long for me to really like it. Too many odd ball incidents with the gun play and the burning of the bait money. Its almost a comedy of errors that made this incident just snowball to the point where a Brooklyn street corner became a media circus. Whereas I admire the loyalty of some of the bank employees, I just feel this unfortunate incident did not need to be dramatized into a movie. Also, the pacing of the movie is too sluggish for my tastes. However, I can see the depth of the characters in several of the scenes, therefore I'll instruct you to the make the choice between depth and the overall good taste of the film.
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