DVD Review: Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

Director Sidney Lumet sadly passed away on 9th April at the age of 86. As a tribute to his brilliant career, here we're reposting Joel's review of arguably his best film - a title it competes for with other Lumet classics such as 12 Angry Men (1957) and Network (1976). His talent will be missed, but his legacy will live on.

Bank robberies were seen in films before Sidney Lumet's masterful thriller, and heists with slicker and more audience-friendly plots have been seen since. Nothing however can refute the glorious charm, unique plot, and sheer humanity of the character portrayals which make this New York based comedic suspense vehicle a feast of cinema. Reuniting the Serpico (1973) team of Lumet and Al Pacino was never going to be an easy task seeing as the latter firstly refused the lead role of Sonny due to acting exhaustion. After some gentle persuasion though, Pacino did accept the part and braved the inevitable public onslaught and press reaction of a genuine star playing a bisexual protagonist. He took the risk and pulled off an outstanding performance based on the real-life John Wojtowicz, the American bank robber who inspired the film. In Hindsight it's a good job the script was based on a true story, as the 1970s studio executives would probably have never greenlit such a diverse account of a bisexual bloke and his buddy robbing a bank to fund a sex-change operation!

Lumet and Pacino undertake both of their tasks flawlessly, and what at first seems like a laughable premise, turns out to be a great piece of dramatic cinema. Some comedic moments do filter through, like the questioning from the hostages about a specific plan, and the pizza delivery being paid for by Sonny, but Lumet never blurs the focus of the film and the narrative never slips off the realism radar into the ridiculous. Pacino and John Cazale play the robbers, Sonny and Sal respectively, in an excellent manner, amplifying the craziness they both possess with a magnetic idiocy that rubs off on the hostages, and in turn, the witnesses of the crime on the street and the viewers of the film. Pacino in particular illustrates the contrast between intensity and naivety perfectly, mixing it up in a faultless chemistry between his Sonny and Charles Durning's Detective Moretti. The "Attica! Attica!" scene has become an iconic and frequently quoted piece of cinema, and two telephone conversations Pacino has (without a cut) is a sheer acting work of genius.

For further realism purposes, the soundtrack only contains the Elton John song "Amoreena" in the wonderfully shot opening sequence, and improvising is kept to a minimum, but used as a tremendously effective instrument when Pacino and Lumet felt it a necessity. In addition, Lumet shoots the film in such a way which makes you feel drawn into entering the bank, negotiating with the authorities or being present down the street, despite the wackiness of the plot. When you feel involved in a film to such a degree, it can only point to a successful picture.



Release Information
Country: UK / Region: 2 / Version: Special Edition / Discs: 2 / Distributor: Warner Bros.

Extras
Disc One's commentary with Sidney Lumet is quality, echoing his directorial brilliance and knowledge on the industry. Disc Two looks quite basic on first look at the menu, but after digging deeper, you realise "The Making of Dog Day Afternoon" option is divided into four documentary features. All are relatively informative although fairly concise. Nevertheless, the central points which are put across do touch on the important artistic and cultural moments of the film such as the Attica scene and the relationship between director and star. The Lumet featurette is mediocre.



Summary
A powerhouse cast and director turn an inimitable idea into a breathtaking magnum opus in a hit or miss genre. This film is certainly a delight with Pacino at the top of his game.