Sidney Lumet’s, “Dog Day Afternoon”, opens with a montage of actual footage taken of a typical morning in Brooklyn, New York that is a pitch perfect introduction to a true-crime story that occurred only two years prior to when the movie was made. It is not only a movie about a botched amateurish bank robbery attempt, but a modern-day parable on American society that is as topical today as it was in 1975. Maybe even more today than it was when it first came out.
The movie is based on a real-life attempted robbery and hostage situation led by John Wojtowicz. Due to a disagreement with Wojtowicz, the producers never received his approval and based their script on the Life magazine article, “The Boys in the Bank”. For this reason, the names of all the living protagonists were changed. In the role of the Wojtowicz-based character, Sonny Wortzik, Al Pacino gives one of his top five performances. This is a movie filled with sad humor and the film’s introduction to our criminals starts it all off when one of Sonny’s two accomplices, Stevie, immediately gets cold feed and leaves the bank. Before he leaves, Sonny asks him to give him their getaway car keys, to which he responds, “How am I gonna get home? Sonny’s remaining accomplice, carrying a scary looking assault rifle, is Sal (John Cazale in a stunning performance), who just happens to be even more clueless than Sonny. In fact, Sal does not really have a hold on reality.
The robbery itself goes terribly wrong right from the start, as they rob the bank after most of the bank’s money has already been removed. The last bit of utter stupidity done by Sonny is his burning of the bank ledgers, seemingly to destroy some sort of document that could be used as evidence on the bills that were being stolen. The smoke of this fire alerts the bank’s neighbors and the police, as very quickly the bank is surrounded by armed police and FBI personnel. Sonny’s response to this is to hold the 9 employees’ hostage, demanding a helicopter to take him to a jet that will fly him to some other country. He never really decides what country up until the film’s end, but Sal, who is less intelligent than Sonny, wants to go to the country of Wyoming. The farcicality of this is beautifully offset by the seriousness of the crime (Sonny threatens to start throwing bodies out of the bank and onto the street).
Another true real-life aspect to the movie is its portrayal of the media frenzy that ensues during the standoff. The bank not only draws a large armed police force, but also countless bystanders and hordes of media. The movie also places an interesting emphasis on the fickle nature of public opinion. Something that resonates true today. At first, as Sonny confronts the crowd with the iconic defiant screams of, “Attica Attica”, referring to the police killing of rioting prisoners at the Attica prison that happened the same year. The crowd is supportive of the bank robbers, but once Sonny’s sexual orientation is revealed through the reason he is robbing the bank (he wants to pay for his boyfriend’s sex change operation), they turn against him, revealing their homophobic sensibilities, which was very prominent in the 70s. The nice touch that Lumet adds to the film is that this original crowd will then get replaced by a larger more liberal crowd from the LGBT community that are supportive of the crime being committed. Meanwhile, the TV and regular press have bombarded the bank with everything from telescopic cameras to helicopters. Lumet, I believe, pays homage to Billy Wilder’s, “Ace in the Hole”, with his depiction of the circus atmosphere created by what should have been a tragic event.
The social messaging distinguished in the movie is aided immensely by the movies humanistic script, and the terrific performances by the entire cast. Pacino shows in this film that he could play more than just Italian authoritarian characters. His Sonny is scared, panicky, out of touch with reality and not very smart. Yet he is full of empathy. Empathy to not only his dumb-witted accomplice, but also to his hostages, the police, and even the crowd screaming outside. Sonny talks to himself, makes rash decisions and bonds with his hostages. On two occasions, two hostages who were given a choice of escaping chose to stay with him. Here Lumet and his screenwriters gave us a hint about what Patty Hearst syndrome could look like. This is one movie that really succeeds in pointing out how basic human compassion can overcome even the most extreme circumstances. This is in large part due to Pacino’s naturalistic portrayal of Sonny.
He is not the only one who shines in the movie. In addition to all the actors portraying the hostages, Charles Durning is superb as the police chief, desperate to get through his day without any casualties. As Sonny’s mentally ill boyfriend Leon, Chris Sarandon gives what I felt was a true performance that keeps his character’s dignity intact while displaying the angst and schizophrenia that is inherent in who Leon is. The final telephone conversation between Leon and Sonny is one of the highlights of the movie and is poignant in its realistic touch. Special mention must be made of the performance John Cazale gives as the mentally deficient Sal. His lack of understanding of where he is, and his predicament makes him the only really dangerous person, yet I find myself caring about him. Is it his fault that he was born with such a small IQ, and did that happen due to some physical altercation in his past? These questions are never answered or asked, but Cazale’s portrayal begs a response. While he is a character who I felt could crack violently at any moment, he also comes across as a scared little boy. He probably has the IQ of a child, as that is the impression I had. Cazale was a rare actor who could always disappear into his role.
Based on a True Story, but without the cooperation of the main protagonist, Lumet and his screenwriters kept most of the events as they were but made some significant changes. For one, Sonny is portrayed in the movie as a Vietnam War vet, while the real Wojtowicz was never in the army. This was done to aid in giving empathy to his character. In addition, the real SAL was only 18 years old, while Cazale’s Sal is in his 30s and mentally deficient. What remains very true to what actually happened are the negotiations, crowd interactions and anything else Lumet could gather from the historical archives of the event. The ending is also very much as it occurred.
By filming realistically and using a free form tracking style for his shots within the bank, Lumet succeeds in creating the feel of what was happening during this small but fascinating event. He also gets terrific performances from a wonderful cast. “Dog Day Afternoon” is a courageous movie willing to make us like weak desperate characters and, by doing so the movie allows for an entertaining, insightful look at life. The movie is not only a great social satire and docudrama, but also a great work of art, and one of Lumet’s best films.
1001 Movies before you die 