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Dog Day Afternoon

Play trailer Poster for Dog Day Afternoon R 1975 2h 10m Crime Drama LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
96% Tomatometer 118 Reviews 90% Popcornmeter 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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Dog Day Afternoon

Dog Day Afternoon

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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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Critics Reviews

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Adam Kempenaar Filmspotting Aug 22
5/5
Antiheroes tend to have swagger and carry a certain mystique. Pacino dismantles that entirely in Dog Day Afternoon. His Sonny is frazzled and flailing and painfully human — not someone to idolize, and not a martyr. Go to Full Review
Mick LaSalle San Francisco Chronicle 04/07/2024
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. Go to Full Review
Michael Blowen Boston Globe 04/07/2024
Pacino's inner alienation transforms this film into something far beyond a simple historical recreation of an "actual" event. Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Nov 16
3.5/4
A corrosive picture featuring one of Al Pacino's best performances. Go to Full Review
James Berardinelli ReelViews Aug 14
3.5/4
Dog Day Afternoon is a powder keg of roiling tension, with violence threatening to erupt at any moment. Go to Full Review
Martin Carr CBR 11/23/2024
9/10
Dog Day Afternoon may throw calculated criticisms at the invasive nature of television media and explore the nature of criminality, but remains a perfect example of cutting-edge '70s cinema for those who want to be reminded. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Sep 4 Awesome movie, probably Al Pacino’s best performance. This was my first time seeing the movie and it holds up 50 years later See more Sep 4 By turns funny and heartbreaking based on the true story of a bank robbery gone very wrong. Al Pacino was amazing two thumbs way up from me! See more Daniel S Nov 22 "Dog Day Afternoon" comes out of the gate swinging , the opening grabs you fast, locking you into a tense, chaotic ride where the characters feel real, messy, and almost uncomfortably close. Al Pacino absolutely cooks in this movie, delivering one of his strongest performances ever. Charles Durning holds his own too, bringing legit weight to the hostage-negotiator role. And of course, Sidney Lumet knows exactly how to build pressure and set up a vibe that keeps you glued.. at least at first. But here’s the thing: after that killer start, the movie kinda loses its spark. The tension slowly cools down, scenes start dragging, and some of the energy that made the first half so gripping just.. slips. Instead of keeping the intensity high, the story drifts into long, drawn-out drama between Sonny, his lover, and his wife - and while those moments add depth, they also soften the edge the film worked so hard to sharpen. By the time we hit the finale, the climax feels more "okay, cool" than "OMG WHAT JUST HAPPENED," making the ending land with less impact than expected. Overall? It’s not one of Lumet’s all-time bests, but it is home to one of Pacino’s standout performances and a handful of unforgettable scenes. Still, as a full package, it doesn’t quite stick the landing. See more Jack F @MovieFan111 Nov 20 I only watched it one time, and that might be the last time. It was whatever. See more The Big Birmingham Street B Nov 3 Okay gather round big bopper fans and fanettes alike, this flick was such a flickin' book in my binder I'd recommend it to any fan of low down grit-city-naturalistic-noirs such as but not at all limited to Transformers One and Taxi Driver, till next time cinema reviewers, bopper... out!! See more Maksim S @MaksimusMovies Nov 2 Tension, Paranoia, and a Career-Defining Pacino. Dog Day Afternoon is a masterclass in character-driven suspense, anchored by Al Pacino at the height of his powers. His portrayal of Sonny, a desperate, paranoid, and anxiety-ridden man, carries the film with electric intensity, transforming what could have been a routine bank heist story into a searing exploration of desperation and human fragility. Every gesture, every tremor, every nervous glance communicates Sonny’s unraveling psyche, pulling the audience into a claustrophobic world of pressure, unpredictability, and mounting chaos. The supporting cast, dialogue, and pacing are impeccable, but it’s Pacino’s magnetic presence that elevates the film to unforgettable heights. By the time the story reaches its unforgettable climax, tension and empathy are intertwined so completely that the film lingers long after the final shot. Dog Day Afternoon is a triumph of performance, direction, and storytelling — a true cult cinema classic, and Pacino’s poster-boy moment. See more Read all reviews
Dog Day Afternoon

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Movie Info

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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