Reviews of Dog Day Afternoon
Displaying all 3 reviews
LifeofFiction
9Dec11
Short version: Sydney Lumet was a fantastic director, Pacino is brilliant in this, and the story is intensely engaging in creating a suspenseful environment and excellent portrayal of this true story. A fantastic heist-gone-wrong film.
Long version: I decided that since Lumet passed this week that I would catch up on some of the biggest critically acclaimed of his films (Network is next on the list). I can’t believe it had to take his death in order for me to finally sit down to this brilliant film. It is so deserving of its praise. Literally every aspect of this film is top notch. The direction is noticeably the best part. Without Lumet at its helm this could be a claustrophobic bore since it is almost all shot indoors in small rooms, and yet it feels like an epic scale robbery film.
Aside from the direction creating a believable environment, everything from the script to the acting was superb. Pacino gives a knockout performance as the emotionally unstable robber who has all the right motives but pursues them without any logic. The viewer is sucked into this suspenseful emotional struggle which never paints either side as completely in the right. It’s a classic piece of american crime drama which deserves to be seen by any film enthusiast.
- Currently 4.0/5 Stars.
Andhika Eka Buana
12Nov09
wow,after watching DOG DAY AFTERNOON,now i’m pretty sure that Sidney Lumet is a master of simple yet powerful storytelling.in 12 ANGRY MEN,he makes me sit tight from the beginning to end.that’s just..great achievement,considering that movie just takes place in one room,and knowing that,usually,i’m not much fan of a ‘talky’ movie.in this movie,the setting is also not much.just taking place in a single bank (well,at least 90 % of the movie is).but,his delicate direction,and helped by another breathtaking performance by pacino,again,makes me sit tight.now i wonder if he can makes a movie that takes place in a toilet an still make it worth watching..
- Currently 4.0/5 Stars.
Todd Kushigemachi
25May09
(Originally written December 1, 2006)
Dog Day Afternoon is a film about the oppressed peoples pressured under the escalation resulting from the overreaction of authority. Sonny, played by Al Pacino, is the oppressed protagonist—pathetic, likable, intense, heartbroken, jealous, and perhaps the most stressed-out character to ever appear on the silver screen. It’s a wonder to see how he covers such a large spectrum of emotions without the performance ever feeling forced. Premiere Magazine expressed the intensity of Pacino’s performance when writing: “The performance is so raw that you wish someone would tell him it’s just a movie.” Pacino pours his heart out into this performance, fully developing his complex character in perhaps the greatest acting performance in the history of film.
However, this is more than just a movie, an important statement of the times. This represents the 1970s America in which a black man is instantly attacked under the assumption he’s a criminal, policemen chuckle at homosexuals, and the media exploits human beings for the sake of entertainment. The most saddening part of this is that all of these injustices and prejudices still exist in the world today. Nothing has changed in the past thirty years. Although these flaws are revealed, each of the characters is shown to be human, neither inherently good nor evil. These are simply different characters caught within the self-perpetuating prejudices of our society.
The movie is interesting because it never uses music, one of the easiest forms of manipulation in cinema. Sidney Lumet does not have the same eye for visuals as the likes of Martin Scorsese, but he does have a natural talent to develop a story. The audience cares the characters because we’re the movie spends valuable time with them. Lumet’s pacing is also very careful, creating the feeling a hot afternoon where tensions unnecessarily rise to epic proportions. This films looks at the easily-manipulated masses, the overreaction of police, the oppression of homosexuals, and the personal life of a criminal. This is a tragedy in which Pacino sees his life crumble before him. It’s a film that examines different social issues while looking at how these problems directly affect individuals.
- Currently 5.0/5 Stars.