Dog Day Afternoon (1975) USA
Dog Day Afternoon Image Cover
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Director:Sidney Lumet
Studio:Warner Home Video
Producer:Martin Bregman, Martin Elfand, Robert Greenhut
Writer:P.F. Kluge, Thomas Moore
Rating:4.5
Rated:R
Date Added:2006-03-27
ASIN:6304712960
UPC:0012569102422
Price:$14.98
Awards:Won Oscar. Another 10 wins & 17 nominations
Genre:Suspense
Release:2006-02-27
IMDb:0072890
Duration:130
Picture Format:Widescreen
Aspect Ratio:1.85:1
Sound:Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Languages:English, Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono, French, Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Subtitles:English, Spanish, French
Features:Full Screen
Letterboxed
Sidney Lumet  ...  (Director)
P.F. Kluge, Thomas Moore  ...  (Writer)
 
Penelope Allen  ...  Sylvia
Sully Boyar  ...  Mulvaney
John Cazale  ...  Sal
Beulah Garrick  ...  Margaret
Carol Kane  ...  Jenny
Sandra Kazan  ...  Deborah
Marcia Jean Kurtz  ...  Miriam
Amy Levitt  ...  Maria
John Marriott  ...  Howard
Estelle Omens  ...  Edna
Al Pacino  ...  Sonny
Gary Springer  ...  Stevie
James Broderick  ...  Sheldon
Charles Durning  ...  Det. Sgt. Eugene Moretti
Carmine Foresta  ...  Carmine
Chris Sarandon  ...  Leon Shermer
Comments: The robbery should have taken 10 minutes. 4 hours later, the bank was like a circus sideshow. 8 hours later, it was the hottest thing on live T.V. 12 hours later, it was all history. And it's all true

Summary: A gripping true crime yarn, a juicy slice of overheated New York atmosphere, and a splendid showcase for its young actors, Dog Day Afternoon is a minor classic of the 1970s. The opening montage of New York street life (set to Elton John's lazy "Amoreena") establishes the oppressive mood of a scorching afternoon in the city with such immediacy that you can almost smell the garbage baking in the sun and the water from the hydrants evaporating from the sizzling pavement. Al Pacino plays Sonny, who, along with his rather slow-witted accomplice Sal (John Cazale, familiar as Pacino's Godfather brother Fredo), holds hostages after a botched a bank robbery. Sonny finds himself transformed into a rebel celebrity when his standoff with police (including lead negotiator Charles Durning) is covered live on local television. The movie doesn't appear to be about anything in particular, but it really conveys the feel of wild and unpredictable events unfolding before your eyes, and the whole picture is so convincing and involving that you're glued to the screen. An Oscar winner for original screenplay, Dog Day Afternoon was also nominated for best picture, actor, supporting actor (Chris Sarandon, as a surprise figure from Sonny's past), editing, and director (Sidney Lumet of Serpico, Prince of the City, The Verdict, and Running on Empty). --Jim Emerson