 On a hot Brooklyn afternoon, two optimistic nobodies set out to rob a bank. Sonny (Al Pacino) is the mastermind, Sal (John Cazale) is the follower and disaster is the result. Because the cops, crowds, TV cameras and even the pizza man have arrived. Pacino and director Sidney Lumet (collaborators on Serpico) reteam for this boisterous comedy thriller - based on a true incident - that earned six Academy AwardŽ nominations (including Best Picture) and won an OscarŽ for Frank Pierson's streetwise screenplay. Storyline: Based upon a real-life story that happened in the early seventies in which the Chase Manhattan Bank in Gravesend, Brooklyn, was held siege by a gay bank robber determined to steal enough money for his male lover to undergo a sex change operation. On a hot summer afternoon, the First Savings Bank of Brooklyn is held up by Sonny and Sal, two down-and-out characters. Although the bank manager and female tellers agree not to interfere with the robbery, Sonny finds that there's actually nothing much to steal, as most of the cash has been picked up for the day. Sonny then gets an unexpected phone call from Police Captain Moretti, who tells him the place is surrounded by the city's entire police force. Having few options under the circumstances, Sonny nervously bargains with Moretti, demanding safe escort to the airport and a plane out of the country in return for the bank employees' safety. Written by alfiehitchie Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Greg Maltz on August 15, 2007 -- A low-budget film from 1975 that features a monaural soundtrack may seem like an odd candidate for release on Blu-ray. But Dog Day Afternoon will forever be a classic due to one of the greatest performances in Al Pacino's career. A lesser actor would have played up the insanity of the lead role of Sonny Wortzik, but Pacino accentuated the misguided character's human side, allowing audiences better accessibility to the bizarre story. An important film in its time, with a counterculture theme, Dog Day Afternoon is based on the true story of a bank heist gone awry. It deserves a place on the shelf of every film collector, and the BD-25 version deserves a screening on every HDTV. Most of us grew familiar with Dog Day Afternoon from TV broadcasts, the VHS and the much improved DVD version, reissue and two- DVD set from Warner. Forget about all those. The definitive version is here. Watching the film on Blu-ray is like seeing it for the first time because of its lifelike resolution and presence. The audio, too, cleans up nicely on this much improved classic. As Elton John's Amoreena blares from the center speaker, the credits show on top of high resolution, 1.85:1 scenes of Brooklyn, New York. The last strains of Amoreena play and the music ends. The remainder of the film has no score. And as the music ends, the views of Brooklyn's people and places settle on a car parked outside a bank. We are introduced to Sonny and Sal Naturile (John Cazale). Moments later, they are inside the bank with guns drawn and Sonny is issuing orders to the bank manager and cashiers. From the earliest moments of the robbery, Sonny's plan starts to unravel. Police surround the bank. Detective Sgt. Eugene Moretti (Charles Durning) demands that Sonny and Sal put down their weapons and surrender. Dog Day Afternoon seems to be over, but it is just getting started. Each successive moment seems to reveal new insight into Sonny and his motivation for the robbery. Fascinating interactions develop as Sonny tries to manage Sal, the hostages and Moretti. Pacino turns it into a brilliant character study. His delivery of lines, facial expressions and body language transform Sonny into one of the most unique characters in the history of film. Pacino's performance is by turns subtle and forceful, meek and explosive, depressing and inspirational, repulsive and charismatic. That Pacino could instantaneously switch on and off these elements of Sonny's personality and convey a full range of emotions while staying comfortably in character is a testament to his skill as an actor. Within the span of three short years, Pacino mastered three characters that would become legends of film: Michael Corleone, Frank Serpico and Sonny Wortzik. Each has a distinct personality, manner of speaking, facial expressions and body language. Perfectly portraying the traits of any one of these characters would have been a major achievement for any actor, but to go from one to the other in succession and convincingly transform himself was a triumph for Al Pacino. His 1992 Oscar Award for Best Actor in Scent of a Woman, and his powerhouse roles of that time--Ricky Roma in Glengarry Glenn Ross and Vincent Hanna in Heat--were another highlight of his career, but the early-to-mid 1970s proved his meddle. Dog Day Afternoon never achieved the popularity of many Pacino films, but remains something of a cult classic--a counterculture portrait of criminal narcissism. Sonny is too unlikely a hero for Hollywood to handle, but thanks to Lumet, the storytelling is wonderful. Pacino had a strong supporting cast, but he stole the show. To see him perform in this role in 1080p is a treat, and I feel indebted to Warner for releasing the Blu-ray. Cast Notes: Al Pacino (Sonny Wortzik), John Cazale (Sal), Charles Durning (Det. Sgt. Eugene Moretti), Chris Sarandon (Leon Shermer), Sully Boyar (Mulvaney), Penelope Allen (Sylvia), James Broderick (Sheldon), Carol Kane (Jenny), Beulah Garrick (Margaret), Sandra Kazan (Deborah), Marcia Jean Kurtz (Miriam), Amy Levitt (Maria), John Marriott (Howard), Estelle Omens (Edna), Gary Springer (Stevie). IMDb Rating (06/16/14): 8.1/10 from 141,862 users Top 250: #215 IMDb Rating (05/11/10): 8.2/10 from 56,700 users Top 250: #166
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