Dog Day Afternoon

R

Released Sep 21, 1975

2h 10m

Crime

Drama

LGBTQ+

List

96%

Tomatometer

116 Reviews

90%

Audience Score

100,000+ Ratings

When inexperienced criminal Sonny Wortzik (Al Pacino) leads a bank robbery in Brooklyn, things quickly go wrong, and a hostage situation develops. As Sonny and his accomplice, Sal Naturile (John Cazale), try desperately to remain in control, a media circus develops and the FBI arrives, creating even more tension. Gradually, Sonny's surprising motivations behind the robbery are revealed, and his standoff with law enforcement moves toward its inevitable end.

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Critics Consensus

Framed by great work from director Sidney Lumet and fueled by a gripping performance from Al Pacino, Dog Day Afternoon offers a finely detailed snapshot of people in crisis with tension-soaked drama shaded in black humor.

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Mick LaSalle

San Francisco Chronicle

The film's tone is extraordinarily flexible, holding within the same reality elements of the absurd, the ridiculous and the comic while sustaining a sense of tension and dread throughout.

Apr 7, 2024

Full Review

Michael Blowen

Boston Globe

Pacino's inner alienation transforms this film into something far beyond a simple historical recreation of an "actual" event.

Apr 7, 2024

Full Review

Pauline Kael

New Yorker

One of the best "New York" movies ever made.

Apr 7, 2024

Full Review

Bill Morrison

News & Observer (Raleigh, NC)

What starts as a very funny movie -- on the order of a realistic escapade involving the Keystone Kops -- evolves into a very sobering drama.

Apr 10, 2024

Full Review

Todd Gilchrist

IGN Movies

[Pacino's] performance here is spectacular, and achieves a kind of nuance and complexity that few actors from his or any other generation have before or since achieved.

Rated: 8/10

Apr 7, 2024

Full Review

Arthur Steele

Birmingham Mail

A biting satire on life today where the criminal can get the crowd behind him.

Apr 7, 2024

Full Review

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mark g

When arguments are made about best actors of all time, this Pacino performance should be played as a case for Al. Perfect film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/23/24

Full Review

Nolan M

One of the best movies I've ever seen.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/18/24

Full Review

alan g

One of the most overrated movies of all time. Since when does screaming,"Attica,attica", constitute acting. Too bad Casals died young. He would have been a great actor.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

06/08/24

Full Review

To F

De lo mejor de Al Pacino. Me encantan estas películas que solo suceden en un lugar y hay policías por todos lados!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/06/24

Full Review

Christian K

Hard to believe that the major driving plot of this, besides the bank robbery, was kept a mystery to me for a critically acclaimed almost 50 year old movie. Pacino and Cazale are expectedly incredible. My favorite sequences are when Pacino and the lead cop are screaming at each other in what seemed like could of been a Key and Peele sketch.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/05/24

Full Review

Aender S

More than just a movie about a bank robbery, with an excellent Al Pacino.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/01/24

Full Review

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Sidney Lumet

Director

Al Pacino

Sonny Wortzik

John Cazale

Salvatore

Charles Durning

Eugene Moretti

Chris Sarandon

Leon Shermer

Sully Boyar

Mulvaney

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Synopsis

When inexperienced criminal Sonny Wortzik (Al Pacino) leads a bank robbery in Brooklyn, things quickly go wrong, and a hostage situation develops. As Sonny and his accomplice, Sal Naturile (John Cazale), try desperately to remain in control, a media circus develops and the FBI arrives, creating even more tension. Gradually, Sonny's surprising motivations behind the robbery are revealed, and his standoff with law enforcement moves toward its inevitable end.

Director: Sidney Lumet
Producer: Martin Bregman, Martin Elfand
Screenwriter: Frank Pierson
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Artists Entertainment Complex
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 21, 1975, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 15, 2008
Runtime: 2h 10m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 35mm

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