Cinema Revisited: Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

Directed by Sidney Lumet. Cast: Al Pacino, John Cazale, Charles Durning, James Broderick, Sully Boyer, Penelope Allen, Carol Kane. Released December 25, 1975. Running time: 125 minutes.

Based on a true life story, this tragicomedy was an enormous box office success when it was first released, and due to the continued star power of Al Pacino, it has lived on as a classic. At the time, it probably didn't realize that it was one of the first films to deal so frankly with a gay relationship from its lead character, while the fact that the bad guy is also the most sympathetic is something that is very much a part of the 70s.

Pacino is Sonny, who gets two friends, Sal and Stevie, to help him rob a bank. Stevie chickens out early, but Sal and Sonny go in and pull the heist. However, circumstances quickly lead to the heist becoming a hostage situation that escalates to the point where there are cops surrounding the building, media coverage, crowds on the street, and a level of pandemonium that creates a jittery, emotional atmosphere for the entire film.

Pacino plays Sonny as manic and impulsive. John Cazale plays Sal as quiet and frightening. Charles Durning, is a harried detective who tries to negotiate the situation. James Broderick is a federal man who carries himself with an air of smug authority. And Chris Sarandon is Leon, Sonny's lover, who wants an operation.

The number of layers that this film contains is remarkable. It is exciting and dramatic. It is funny and absurd. It is cold and frightening. And it explores issues that make it ahead of its time, and also confronts things that make it very much of its time. The presentation of the police as confused, somewhat bumbling, overbearing, and uncaring are qualities that are very 1970s, when anti-Vietnam sentiment made rebellion against authority the norm. The romantic situation between Sonny and Leon deals not only with their being gay, but also Leon's wanting to get a sex change. In fact, the film tells us that one of the reasons Sonny is robbing the bank is to hopefully fund Leon's operation.

There are a lot of characters in the narrative, as this is a hostage situation, but the focus is on Sonny. Pacino plays him very manically, as he nervously barrels through his performance, exhibiting a level of unbridled energy that the actor sustained by not sleeping much, eating very little, and randomly taking cold showers. His performance is anchored by John Cazale who plays his scenes with an economy of movement, and a stern grumble when he speaks.

Sidney Lumet's direction is outstanding. The film is very loud and disruptive but still maintains an even rhythm and never loses focus of its underlying narrative. The succession of shots, action within the frame, and quick edits are especially impressive, and help to keep the fast pace.

While there is a fair amount of Hollywood embellishment, the film is bascially the true story of an actual 1972 bank robbery committed by a man named John Wojtowicz, who was in a relationship similar to the one between Sonny and Leon (Wojtowicz's lover died of AIDS in 1987, Wojtowicz himself died in 2006 -- the actors who played them are both alive).

What the film offers us now that it is an old classic, is how this period in filmmaking took chances with its stories and characters. "Dog Day Afternoon" is one of the strongest films from one of the best decades in cinema.