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Dog Day Afternoon

Dog Day Afternoon

1975
Drama, Suspense/Thriller
2h 5m
Three men enter a bank with the intention of committing armed robbery, but nothing goes according to plan. Set in New York City in 1972, Al Pacino and John Cazale play characters whose real-life counterparts were John Wojtowicz and Salvatore Naturile.
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Dog Day Afternoon

1975
Drama, Suspense/Thriller
2h 5m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 71.86% from 6706 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(6705)
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Rated 15 Dec 2007
90
85th
There are two main things that make Dog Day Afternoon shine: 1) a premise so strong that the script practically writes itself; and 2) Al Pacino. I mean, there's also the excellent dialogue, the all-around strong characterization, the twisted sense of humor, and many other things, but in the end it all comes down to Pacino's endlessly nuanced performance. Movies like this are what make 70's cinema great. It's fresh, entertaining, and surprisingly cerebral.
Rated 14 Aug 2013
87
95th
This is mint. I knew practically nothing about this film going in, and so was very pleasantly surprised at how good it was. Some tremendous acting, Pacino in particular, dialogue and characterisation. Lumet has a very steady hand on the tiller, allowing the performances to flourish and the tension and atmosphere to build throughout; no small feat given the largely confined setting, set against a complex social backdrop. This is sharp and very enjoyable, and highly recommended.
Rated 04 Mar 2007
6
99th
Ostensibly a heist film, in effect a concise and perceptive capture of the big picture; an entire zeitgeist. America in the shadow of Vietnam, the distress of economic recession, emerging equal rights movements, contempt for federal authority, media-orchestrated sideshows. The great achievement is framing characters in this multitude of sociopolitical relevance without sacrificing nuance or reducing to archetype. If the script isn't convincing, certainly the many compassionate performances are.
Rated 26 Feb 2010
100
99th
How did it take me this long to watch this movie? To say that Pacino did an outstanding job is an understatement. Just watching him as he's dictating his will was one of the greatest pieces of acting I have ever seen. This movie is highly entertaining and not to be missed.
Rated 14 Apr 2010
99
98th
First rate script w/ great characters& dialogue that always rings true. All of it brought 2 life by Lumet & some committed actors. Sarandon takes a character a 70's audience could only laugh at/hate & insures neither happens. And a golden-age Pacino gives the most intense, exhilaratingly frazzled performance of his career. Although the supporting characters r sometimes painted 2 broadly, it's a small flaw in a film that only reminds you of all that was lost when the blockbusters took over.
Rated 12 Dec 2006
90
94th
This is Pacino at his best, before he became a caricature of himself. Great story, smart twists, surprising subject matter and a great finale.
Rated 01 Mar 2007
5
91st
Al Pacino was in the zone in the 70s, and this stands alongside his turns as Michael Corleone as one of the very best performances of not only his career, but all of film history. He plays Sonny to perfection, creating a multifaceted and dynamic character with a wide range of moods, panic and fear, love and happiness, anger and frustration. It's really something to see. Lumet gives one of his best efforts behind the camera, using naturalism to create tension and mood.
Rated 20 Mar 2007
90
97th
I dare you to watch this and not get stockholm syndrome. Flaws include Sonny's tacky (and disloyal to the true events) encounter with his mother, and Chris Sarandon's slightly overboard portrayal of his boyfriend. On the whole, this movie is intricate, thoughtful, highly realistic and carefully compassionate.
Rated 16 May 2009
83
72nd
Lumet has crafted an interesting social commentary wrapped up in a bank heist film. I love most the way the movie slowly adds to Sonny's persona as an outcast, driving him further and further outside the 'mainstream' of society, all the while contrasting him with the various "haves" around him. Lumet succeeds because he always ensures that the characters remain human, rather than caricatures. Very entertaining and engaging.
Rated 13 Nov 2011
100
99th
Deep rooted tension cut by brilliant moments of brevity. Pacino is simply electric. I was hanging off his every word. The lack of extraneous noise and soundtrack made the whole thing feel real. This movie is just great. Rewatch: This movie is fucking amazing. The scene with Pacino shouting "Attica! Attica! Attica!" is so captivating I don't know if I've even been drawn into a movie that much. I can hardly put how much I love this film into words beyond 'fucking amazing'.
Rated 11 Aug 2014
100
99th
Not even 20 minutes into the film, we find we're already seeing things absolutely no other crime film has ever included that are astonishing in their dramatic persuasiveness. The climactic final ten minutes are ruthless in their steadily unraveling, almost unbearably intense tragedy. It's not only one of the most effective uses of sound to create drama I've ever seen, but everything concludes exactly as it would in reality.
Rated 12 Feb 2015
90
92nd
A young supple ... Lance Henriksen?
Rated 22 Apr 2018
91
97th
Brilliantly funny and tragic with a good level of unwavering suspense
Rated 14 Apr 2007
100
95th
Marvelous. Tragic, funny, and totally '70s. Pacino and Durning make great opponents
Rated 14 Aug 2007
100
99th
Sidney Lumet truly found his groove in the 70s. This work exhibits some of his best direction.The performances, the camera work, the emotion; he is a master of crafting true works of art within the confines of an often restrictive Hollywood, particularly because he is so ready to adapt. It's the perfect counterculture film.
Rated 28 Dec 2008
100
99th
This was fabulous. I loved how likable the Sunny and Sal were, even thier hostages loved them. I found some of the behavior of the hostages and the crowd strange though? Who cheers for a bank robber? What can I say, it was the seventies, people were weird. Amazing film.
Rated 19 Nov 2011
98
99th
Talk about a film bringing you right in the moment, this is one of the most involving films I've ever seen. Most likely due to Pacino's dynamite performance, most likely due to the terrific cast around him, most likely due to the lean, suitable editing, most likely due to the perfect pacing, most likely due to the fact that no matter how ludicrous the storyline got, it kept me convinced. Most likely due to everything about this film.
Rated 27 Oct 2012
98
99th
One of the first films to throw me into cinema. Lumet is the true ally.
Rated 09 Feb 2015
100
98th
When you see a film for the fourth time, you start to pick up on things that you didn't notice before. For me, I never realized how important sound is to this film. From the loud buzz of the crowd formed around the bank to the jets and helicopters flying over head, it help gives the film the stressed, frantic pace it is looking for in certain scenes (along with the quick cuts). One of my favourite films.
Rated 28 Jan 2020
85
87th
The original modern heist movie is really a dark comedy driven by the feverish indefatigable pace of a Pacino in his acting prime.
Rated 07 Feb 2007
91
90th
What a great film, it is so well done, and well acted, and so intense and nail biting, considering it doesn't really take place outside of the bank. The Characters are easily the best part about this movie, throughout all of Dog Day Afternoon, I was rooting for the "Bad Guys," and I was completely heartbroken at the end.
Rated 16 Mar 2008
89
90th
Pacino gives what, to me, is the greatest performance of his career here, so great that the only reason he failed to win Best Actor was simply that he was up against Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. The movie itself is intriguing enough, but it's what the actors (Pacino, John Cazale, and Chris Sarandon) bring to their roles that make this one memorable. A classic heist movie whose influence is still prevalent today.
Rated 24 Nov 2008
74
69th
Al Pacino puts an excellent performance on the screen in this robbery movie that actually isn't about robbery at all, but instead shows Al Pacino holding off the disliked police establishment, cheered on by hords of spectators. There's an excellent script here, but unfortunately the movie slowed down too much in the middle act in my opinion. There were a few side stories that just weren't interesting enough for me to keep the attention. Nevertheless, it's a bank robbery movie unlike any other.
Rated 07 Jan 2009
9
90th
(2nd viewing) A fine slice of American cinema, featuring an exciting performance by Pacino and a great script, but am I the only one who feels it's messy in a few spots, referring to the lazy editing and disappointing supporting cast (seriously, did you understand a single word uttered by Charles Durning ?). It's still a stirring ride with an ending that made me love the film even more.
Rated 29 Apr 2009
95
96th
With an amazing performance from Al Pacino this is just an all-around extremely well done movie. It just keeps going and doesn't let up and makes you fall for Sonny just like the crowds. Rewatch: Still as engrossing as when I first watched it. Pacino and Cazale are fantastic as the bank robbers clearly in over their heads. Another fantastic Lumet movie.
Rated 03 Jun 2009
95
80th
One of the best characters to come from Al Pacino and the 70s.
Rated 31 Jul 2009
97
98th
Maybe Al Pacino's best performance and possibly Sidney Lumet's best film is saying a lot and a formula for one hell of a movie. This movie just amazed me in every aspect. It's a damn shame this had to go up against One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest at the Academy Awards or else this may very well have won Best Picture. One of the best of the 70's.
Rated 13 Aug 2009
95
98th
After my second viewing, I can safely say that this movie is one of my favorites ever. Pacino gives one of the greatest performances in history as Sonny Wortzik and the rest of the cast are no slouches either. The script is superb, the plot is gripping and it's really amazing to me that Lumet was able to make such an amazing thriller take place in just one bank.
Rated 05 Dec 2009
71
81st
Though the genre is mentioned as "Drama, Suspense/Thriller, Crime", the first half of the movie is very funny and the 2nd half is a bit more serious.
Rated 27 Jan 2010
94
93rd
The best use of New York locations ever. Pacino, Cazale and Durning are all fine, and the gritty realism of the screenplay is completely convincing.
Rated 22 Sep 2010
95
99th
Intense and thoughtful crime/thriller/drama/romance film. One of the few times being dated really adds to the feel of the story.
Rated 12 Dec 2010
90
95th
Gritty, filled with suspense and darkly comic - what else could you ask for? Pacino is amazing as the inept bank-robber turned folk-hero, but all of the other cast members give solid, nuanced performances as well. Cazale is particularly good as Pacino's nervous, submissive sidekick. Love the way that this film is about much more than a bank robbery - sexuality, gender identity and the role of the media are also important aspects.
Rated 01 Feb 2011
96
92nd
A masterpiece of storytelling. Lumet's no-frills style, which goes for clarity above all else, still allows for subtle variety. The editing and writing make for great pacing, as well as finding humor while simultaneously keeping it human but avoiding sentimentality. The acting is perfect. Pacino is totally relatable, wildly kinetic, but always in control. No other actor can work up to such histrionics and still remain so grounded. Cazale, Durning, Sarandon, and the bit players are all terrific.
Rated 17 Jun 2011
95
98th
The film that made me love movies.
Rated 06 May 2012
83
67th
If any young whippersnappers start moaning about how Pacino isn't as good an actor as people say, just show em this. That'll shut em up. (NOTE: This movie came out fifteen years before I was born)
Rated 12 Oct 2014
94
96th
John Cazale's understated performance is the true thunder here. This movie makes every action film better through its existence.
Rated 15 Jul 2019
26
78th
not enough dogs
Rated 20 May 2020
98
93rd
It is a classic crime film in part because of all the things Sidney Lumet did so well in his entire career. Much like 12 Angry Men, you get a progressive and ahead of its time sense of empathy regarding a group of people (in this case the trans community). He also knows how to use location, heat, time, and conflict to ramp up the drama for proper emotional escalation. Even the phone calls are riveting. If you want a fantastic read on the film's creation, check out Lumet's book on filmmaking.
Rated 11 Feb 2007
85
93rd
Favori soygun filmlerimden bir tanesi, Al Pacino'nun performansı büyülüyor.
Rated 19 Mar 2007
89
83rd
Remarkable performances all around and wonderful writing and direction. Simply one of the best movies of the 70s, and that says a lot.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
89
87th
Al Pacino can act pretty good. Controversial themes, captured the 70's (I guess).
Rated 14 Aug 2007
62
63rd
A true-crime acting tour de force, Pacino offers up a bold preformance. Shoddy downtime and poor cinematography take something away from this classic.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
82
93rd
Almost everything is done just about as well as possible for this kind of movie, starting from the opening montage accompanied by John's "Amoreena" (and the complete lack of musical accompaniment for the rest of the movie). Pacino was never better and Cazale is great as always. Really one of the best portraits of a particular city at a certain time. Re-watching this in 2021 after many years, knowing the outcome and remembering most of the scenes somehow made the film even more affecting.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
100
99th
Another of the all-time classic great films. Groundbreaking for its look at ambiguous sexual identity and the lengths that one might go to for love. Pacino shines in this one.
Rated 18 Aug 2007
85
72nd
Part of an era of great American movies made in the 1970's - this one has a young Al Pacino doing a great job.
Rated 31 Dec 2007
80
61st
Al Pacino gives an outstanding performance as perhaps the most charming bank robber on film.
Rated 05 May 2008
80
80th
Al Pacino is always fantastic. It is worth see in this funny acting.
Rated 01 Jun 2008
95
92nd
A brilliant film. Lumet's on the top of his game and Pacino only has a handful of performances that top this one.
Rated 03 Aug 2008
95
97th
Excellent
Rated 02 Nov 2008
85
80th
This movie is so goddamn tense, I love it.
Rated 13 Nov 2008
87
89th
Absolute tour-de-force from Pacino. Superb.
Rated 05 Dec 2008
82
82nd
great acting by Pacino!
Rated 16 Dec 2008
72
45th
At least 45 minutes too long.
Rated 16 Dec 2008
91
72nd
A classic 70's "crime" film, though not as much a crime film as a character piece about a crime. Lots going on in this one: politics, sexuality, the media, psychology all interwoven with fantastic performances from Pacino, Cazele and the supporting cast as well. A great example of Lumet at the peak of his powers.
Rated 22 Dec 2008
100
86th
While it starts out as a fairly light black comedy, Dog Day Afternoon quickly spirals into gripping suspense.
Rated 31 Jan 2009
9
90th
Lumet's 2nd masterpiece and Al Pacino's finest performance.
Rated 04 Mar 2009
60
85th
An exemplary New York street movie, rich in incident of the Oh-God-what-next variety. Also an exemplary actors' movie, with Pacino's and Durning's across-the-street negotiations especially giving the thing a kind of dog-fight snarl and yap. It is an audience movie as well, however.
Rated 11 May 2009
85
89th
a tremendous film, exploring the emotions of a bank robber better than ever before. personally i really did like leon's character, it thought that whole part of the plot gave much more. the ending was a downer, but anyone who doesn't expect that probably shouldnt be watching it. al pacino did a great job, and most of the other actors involved did likewise. the plot and script are the best parts of this movie, making it that much better.
Rated 25 Jun 2009
76
72nd
"Dog Day Afternoon" is a classic. It's expertly acted and directed. The movie has a great hook, but it also has a bit of a pacing problem. The film moves incredibly slow. To the less patient, it could bore after the film's opening excitement. It throws in some surprises along the way, but ultimately we know where it's headed. Pacino is great in this though.
Rated 22 Jul 2009
75
79th
John Casale died too young, witnessed again here in this great movie about a bank robbery gone wrong, and how the robbers manage to get the people's support in the aftermath as they're surrounded by police with no way to go. Has a bit of social critic as well.
Rated 24 Feb 2010
90
82nd
70s New York City Young Al Pacino * John Cazale
Rated 06 Apr 2010
81
67th
One of Pacino's most bestest performances. And that other ugly guy from the Godfather is great too.
Rated 25 Sep 2010
90
94th
Fantastic acting by Pacino, he brings a truly complex character to life in what is possibly his best performance. Cazale is great as well as his somewhat incompetent partner in crime. Sidney Lumet is a great director and he shines while shooting in mostly one location.
Rated 23 Jan 2011
86
98th
Al Pacino and Sidney Lumet in the 70s practically guarantees a great film. The entire movie is itself a product of the 70s, drawing on real events and using them to comment on the society as a whole. Although it gets a bit loose and slow in the middle, it can be excused because of the impossibility of maintaining such a high level of tension throughout. Besides, the ending is perfect.
Rated 16 Mar 2011
95
95th
What a day.
Rated 17 Apr 2011
85
84th
The first time I saw this movie I was a junior in high school and it blew me away. It was a strong influence for me as an actor for the following years, and one of my very favorite movies. Revisiting it now I see a different film, still great with terrific performances, but flawed in ways I didn't see before. I lowered my score for this film 12 points now from what it was before, I hope it can forgive me.
Rated 01 May 2011
92
98th
I can't imagine how I missed seeing this classic American film all these years. Perhaps I avoided the film because, from brief trailer clips, I thought it would just be Al Pacino scrunching his face and waving his arms a lot. It is really much better than that; in fact, it is an excellent film in all regards. The amount of suspense in the film surprised me, and all performances are superb, including that of Mr. Pacino.
Rated 12 Jul 2011
85
94th
Pacino is truly incredible, as is Cazale. Great movie.
Rated 06 Sep 2011
84
32nd
A nervous thriller staring Pacino and Cazale, former Corleone brothers, as inexperienced bank-robbers on a hot Brooklyn day. Released in 1975, this movie resonates an uneasy turbulence about the precarious nature of the United States, perhaps seen in Pacino's character of Sonny, a decent man who finds himself in an indecent society. Police brutality, Vietnam, and qualms about homosexual identity violently corrode what was intended to be a simple bank heist...
Rated 21 Dec 2011
78
71st
Al Pacino gives a first rate performance in this film. This movie is clearly Pacino's show. This is a very well made film.
Rated 10 Mar 2012
96
96th
Sonny is an absolutely fascinating character; his story is one I truly cared about
Rated 17 Apr 2012
81
90th
It takes a lot of talent to create such tension with such a simple plot. Few directors could create that atmosphere, and few actors could meaningfully inhabit it. Luckily we got an extremely talented trio of Lumet, Pacino, and Cazale to make this.
Rated 24 May 2012
83
85th
You really understand why Lumet felt the need to specify that all this actually happened. The acting is top notch, btw. Pacino delivers one of his most powerful performances.
Rated 16 Jun 2012
96
91st
This one tripped me out
Rated 26 Jun 2012
74
69th
Sure, Pacino is an acting powerhouse but Chris Sarandon gets no love in this. If I had a list of top ten transsexual performances in movies, he would be in the top five.
Rated 03 Jul 2012
94
97th
Pacino simmers in this daring and brilliantly constructed treatise on the many facets of a crime.
Rated 23 Sep 2012
92
97th
Not even The Godfather made me love Pacino as an actor... this film did.
Rated 26 Oct 2012
96
99th
Three and a half reasons that make this movie is all time best. 1- 70's Cinema (which is best of all decades.) 2- Lumet (could be the best of Lumet.) 3- Pacino (never seen such an acting performance in cinema before not even from him.) 3.5- John Cazale (when he plays he's adding at least +1 point every time in every movie.) * Casting, Acting : 10 * Script : 9 * Directing, Aura : 10 * Ease of Viewing : 9 * Naked Eye : 10
Rated 23 Feb 2013
95
96th
A tense and gritty film, with the sort of role Pacino was born to play. Darkly humorous, and effectively tragic. Unfortunately held back by some slightly meandering pacing.
Rated 06 May 2013
90
94th
A true classic.
Rated 07 Mar 2015
90
80th
One of greatest cinematic realization of a real-life event thanks to Lumet's transfixingly natural camera pans and a detailed, subtly masterful performance from Pacino. A complex satire on the divide between social procedures and human compassion.
Rated 14 Mar 2016
95
94th
I don't really care for Pacino, but I really should remember to watch more of his movies from the 70s. This is the sort of thing he will be remembered for - intense but loose. This is an amazing, touching, hilarious, intense, humanistic movie, and I regret not seeing it earlier.
Rated 30 Jun 2018
75
74th
It is all about Al Pacino and his great performance. After some moment, I have started to not follow the storyline or what's happening in the movie to just focus on his performance. This is a movie that rely its greatness to him.
Rated 01 Sep 2018
85
90th
Galaxy brain: botching a bank robbery so impressively you end up getting rich off selling the film rights to the story
Rated 28 Feb 2019
90
50th
Tight. Taut. Doesn't last too long. A thriller as they should be.
Rated 06 Apr 2019
70
53rd
Sonny: "Kiss me. When I'm being fucked, I like to get kissed a lot."
Rated 08 Jun 2019
98
67th
Pretty darn good. Pacino and Cazale shine.
Rated 10 Aug 2020
96
90th
I've recommended this to everyone I've talked to since seeing it. A friend said "absolutely incredible movie and maybe the first one that made me realize how good they can be" and I don't know that I could review it any better. It really unlocked something for me.
Rated 05 Dec 2021
77
75th
Creative, believable acting.There's something entirely satisfying about a bank heist of such "methodical planning" crumble with farcical spontaneity. A desperate circus, with all the laughs as such...but, the predominant question, at its core is this unadulterated comedy or abject tragedy?
Rated 21 Dec 2006
95
0th
Oh lord...he is a movie among movies. You can't see this on tv. DVD is the way to go, Al just guts out a performance that will shake you from you bootstraps. A classic.
Rated 10 Feb 2007
90
85th
It doesn't get any better than Pacino furiously trying to get his rifle out of the flower box.
Rated 11 Feb 2007
70
82nd
Classic.
Rated 27 Apr 2007
77
47th
Rather suspenseful! Not too shabby! You kind of know how it has to end, but it's still worth a look.
Rated 18 May 2007
60
47th
It's good in every department, but it doesn't "grab me" or evoke any emotions. It feels bit tedious. ***
Rated 26 May 2007
75
79th
Classic.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
95th
A rough and scrappy heist thriller, featuring a couple of fantastic performances from Al Pacino and John Cazale. This film was very prescient in understanding the determining role of the media in public perception of an individual.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
91
88th
Outstanding
Rated 14 Aug 2007
68
47th
Pacino was his typical awesome self, and captured the emotion of the situation well, but i really wasn't that enthralled by the movie as a whole.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
81
59th
Good, but doesn't really go anywhere. You can almost guess the ending, since in every robbery movie, they never get their demands.
Rated 21 Aug 2007
95
98th
Excellent

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