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I'm Robbing a Bank Because They Got Money Here

A poorly-planned bank robbery raises questions about social issues, the government and the role of the media in the United States.

Dog Day Afternoon, released in 1975 and directed by Sidney Lumet, was based on a Life magazine article from 1972 titled “The Boys in the Bank”. The article related the story of John Wojtowicz and Salvatore Naturile, two armed men who entered a Chase Manhattan bank in Brooklyn on August 22, 1972.

Wojtowicz was renamed Sonny Wortzik for the screen and is played by Al Pacino. He's the “brains” of the operation.

Sal, an unstable guy that is clearly dumb but keep us all the time afraid of what he could do, is interpreted by the late and great John Cazale, a good friend of Al Pacino since they were teenagers.

The movie starts when Sonny and Sal arrive to the bank at closing time accompanied by a third man, Stevie, who decides he can't be a part of the job and asks Sonny to leave. The perfect way to not start a bank robbery.

Sonny, a former bank teller (he's many other things too), and his partner will soon find that there's no money in the vault and before they know it they have the employees of the bank hostage and are surrounded by an army of cops, FBI agents, media guys and the usual crowd of on-lookers.

It's not a bank robbery anymore; it's a circus. Playing live on TV all over the country.

Watching some so-called wars and other stupid events on TV may be seem normal in 2006, but in 1972 it was pure novelty.

Jack Nicholson took the Oscar home that year but Al Pacino's Sonny is possibly one of his best performances ever. It was ranked #4 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time.

During the whole film you'll be thinking “what the hell that guy's doing?” Pacino is simply magical, making us feel the tension of every moment. The way in which he gets his rifle out of a gift box is a sign of what's to come. And it's so stressing every time he walks out of the bank to talk to the cops. He's a clumsy criminal but we still love him.

Even the real John Wojtowicz wrote a letter from prison where he said Al Pacino's acting was “the best he’s ever done,” and that it made him “laugh, cry, sweat, and feel uncomfortable at times all in one movie. His characterization was flawless.”

Everything was in place in 1975 for Dog Day Afternoon to become a snapshot of the turmoil of its era.

Sonny's distrust of authority and his relationship with the crowd and the police, the existing social repression, the United States withdrawing from Vietnam (Sonny is a war vet), everything leads to a climax when Sonny starts chanting “Attica! Attica!” and the mass starts cheering; one of the most famous scenes in film history.

It's your job, right? You know, the guy who kills me, I hope he does it 'cause he hates my guts. Not 'cause it's his job

Director Sidney Lumet leads us through an exciting ride of emotions, non predictable events and well created characters. He touches controversial topics but never goes the this-is-right-this-is-wrong way. A movies that's also a fantastic flashback to the New York of the '70s.

The story was written by Frank Pierson and won the Academy Award for original screenplay. Every line of dialog is very well thought. You can watch and rewatch Dog Day Afternoon and always discover new details.

It's a movie that cleverly mixes humor and drama.

I enjoyed the part when the pizza delivery boy meets Sonny in front of the shouting public and couldn't stop laughing when Sal tells Sonny which country he'd like to go. Lumet later revealed that Cazale's character was not supposed to say a word; he and Pacino created a memorable and funny scene out of nothing.

The scene with Sonny and Leon (a key character in the story, played by Chris Sarandon) on the phone was also improvised. It's clearly one of the more powerful moments in the flick and we can't avoid suffering with Sonny.

You are absorbed by the unfolding drama since the first shot, amazing for a movie with no soundtrack, something most people won't notice at first. It's the result of great acting, location sounds and script.

Dog Day Afternoon may seem like a simple and entertaining movie at first sight, but it's much more than that. It's anti-establishment, it's a smart message for smart people, it's a piece of art that I'll always love.