Movie of the Week #11


Dog Day Afternoon
1975, Directed by Sidney Lumet

I apologize for the strange schedule I’ve been getting these up lately. I figured I should get back on track and do try to get them up each Monday. Anyway, here’s #11.

Considering that, just a year later in 1976, Sidney Lumet directed the incessantly hailed masterpiece Network, it’s easy to understand why so many people seem to forget his wonderful 1975 effort Dog Day Afternoon.

Actually based on a magazine article reporting a true event, Dog Day Afternoon is a film that starts out, very simply, with three men robbing a bank. The three rather quickly diminish to two, the bank has only a very small amount of money on hand, and – surprise, surprise – the cops show up in droves. The rest of the film is them interacting with hostages and the law, while one of them, Sonny, tries to figure a way out of the predicament.

There is just so much to love about this film. It’s almost entirely driven by acting and characterization, and it really hits it out of the park in that respect. It’s commonly acknowledged that Al Pacino is the centerpiece of the film, and there’s really no denying it. He delivered some incredible performances in the ‘70s, and this is one of them. The audience falls in love with him as he portrays the frustrations and insecurities of the everyman with an ease and power that only Pacino possesses. But I think the performances of John Cazale and Chris Sarandon go severely under-appreciated due to Pacino. Cazale is one of the most underrated actors of all time, in my opinion, and he is excellent here, as he was in The Godfather I and II, The Conversation, The Deer Hunter, and so on. He keeps the film on edge, and the audience is never entirely sure just what he is capable of and whether or not he is going to snap. Sarandon is quite an excellent actor as well, but he never seems to take starring roles, and thus, he is relegated to the stigma of “character actor”. But he really does a great job in Dog, playing Pacino’s homosexual lover in need of a sex change, no less.

And in the process of crafting a character-driven, human drama, Lumet also addresses quite a few interesting issues – the media’s (and culture’s) obsession with crime and violence, the priorities of the law enforcement in America (I would bet it cost a hell of a lot more than what would have been stolen to run the whole police operation.), the strange relationship that develops between captor and hostage, and the attraction of the disillusioned anti-hero, to name a few.

But what’s more, Dog is one of the most consistently engaging and entertaining films I have ever seen. It is equal parts comedy, thriller, and drama. There really is never one dull or uninteresting moment throughout the entire 124-minute film, which is all the more impressive due to Lumet’s deadpan, matter-of-fact direction the complete lack of any kind of score (a Lumet trademark).

It’s also worth noting, at least in my mind, that Dog has that indefinable feeling that only films shot in New York City during the 1970s have. A certain sense of importance, fun, and laid-back enthusiasm atop a nostalgic city atmosphere. And personally, I can’t get enough of said type of films.

Previous Movies of the Week:

#1: Gladiator
#2: The Passion of the Christ
#3: Cool Hand Luke
#4: Fight Club
#5: American Beauty
#6: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
#7: GoodFellas
#8: Boogie Nights
#9: American Psycho
#10: Dr. Strangelove

I haven't seen this, but I will now.

Good movie. Seeing it recently was a bit sad. It hasn't held up.

What makes you think that? I only saw it for the first time this year, and it seems to have held up quite well to me.

I don't know if anyone likes Kiss Kiss Bang Bang as much as I do, but could that be the next movie of the week? I absolutely love this movie, and find it hilarious as well. The dialogue was excellent, in my opinion, whether it was gay Perry talking about using the towel, or any of the parts involving math lol.

Concerning Dog Day Afternoon, I haven't seen it unfortunately :S

I probably need to see this again, it's been a while. But I remember it as a good film though not my favorite by Lumet.

That seems like it would be better if you just made a thread. I didn't really think it was that great, so a write-up would be tricky. Plus, it's pretty new, so again, just making a thread would probably be more appropriate.

This should be done through PMs, though.

First off, thanks to Jordan for taking the helm the past 3 weeks. We usually alternate each week but he's been a trooper and picked up my slack. I'll be doing next week's Movie of the Week.

This movie is sort of an end to one of the greatest actor's runs of all time (Pacino, of course). Look at this list:

1971: The Panic in Needle Park
1972: The Godfather
1973: Serpico
1973: Scarecrow
1974: The Godfather Part II
1975: Dog Day Afternoon

Those are 6 great movies/performances within 5 years, and part of the reason Pacino co-owned the 70's cinema along with a couple of other actors.

"Attica!"

i thought this movie was exteremely fun and entertaining. great script

Nice Choice! This is one of those rare movies that I can watch numerous times and never get tired of. I saw this for the first time on TV when I was pretty young and was even impressed with it then. Probably one of the only movies that I would consider one of my favorites that I do not own. I need to fix that.

I found the SE of this new for $9.99. I was fucking pumped.

Attica! Attica!

John Cazale was the fucking best

I enjoy this movie. I watched it last week. My second favourite film the Al Pacino is in behind Serpico.

Will it be Surf Ninjas?