Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

 

Based on very real events that only get more bizarre the more you think about it, this film is not only funny in a tragic sense, as it is a great case study for the human condition. Not only that, but it features Al Pacino firing on all cilinders, so what's not to love? 

Unless you don't like Pacino, of course. 

It is an excruciatingly hot summer afternoon and two (well, at first three) guys move into a bank near closing time. They plan to rob the bank, but soon find there is hardly any money left, as they miscalculated and most of the money has already been picked up. So from then on, both guys have to improvise, as it soon becomes clear they have no idea what they're doing. 

In the meantime, a police officer from across the street has spotted them and now the place is surrounded, as more and more people show up. It all becomes almost absurd, with the robbers/schmucks trying to make deals with the police as they still have hostages, that quickly turn sympathetic to their plight. 

And the reason why these guys are trying to rob the bank? Sonny has recently married a man (which was still illegal back then) and now wants the money to pay for his lover's sex change operation. All the while his mother would have given him the money and his wife and two kids are panicking as now a lot of eyes are on them. The media gets involved and people are starting to cheer for our two ineffectual robbers... 

Yes, this film stars both Pacino and John Cazale, but let's be brutally honest: in every possible way, this is Pacino's film. He is front and centre all the time and his portrayal of the well-meaning but hopelessly inept Sonny, a guy who is pretty much doomed from the start, as he has little to no backbone or any plan whatsoever, is captivating. His compatriot is someone who is a lot more psychotic and perhaps not the best choice for the situation, but then again: nothing really is. 

In fact, this isn't so much about the robbery, as it is about how people and media react to certain happenings in the world. You'd think a robbery would be something serious, but this film proves that people can go bananas over pretty much anything and love every second of it, as long as it gives them the idea that they're popular. Pretty spot on, even back in 1975. 

So if you want a story that actually happened and displayed here as a strong character study starring a couple of absolute losers that nevertheless feel all too real, then this is absolutely something you should see, if only to see one of Pacino's iconic performances that doesn't feel over the top.