Dog Day Afternoon

Dog Day Afternoon. 1975 Warner Bros. Pictures.
Starring: Al Pacino, John Cazale, Charles Durning, James Broderick, Chris Sarandon
Director: Sidney Lumet
Available at Amazon: Two-disc special edition, or as part of the Controversal Classics, Volume 2 box set with Network and All the President's Men.

First time criminals Sonny Wortzik (Pacino) and his pal Sal (Cazale) rob a Brooklyn bank. They plan to use the cash to fund Sonny's transgendered partner's (Sarandon) male-to-female sex change operation, but they discover the bank has very little money on hand. After their third accomplice chickens out and runs away during the raid, the police make their presense known, holding the bank under siege. Sonny and Sal take shelter in the bank, holding the workers hostage.

Detective Moretti (Durning) calls the bank to tell Sonny that the police have arrived, which prompts the first time criminal to retort that he and Sal have hostages, and will kill them if anyone tries to come inside. Sonny and Sal do release a security guard who has an asthma attack after Moretti asks for a released hostage as a sign of good faith. Moretti also asks Sonny to step outside to see the aggressive police force. Seeing this, Sonny starts his famous "Attica!" chant, which wins over the civilian crowd gathered around. By now, the robbery has turned into a media circus.

Things escalate, and Sonny realizes that he and Sal will not be able to make a simple getaway. He demands a jet to take them out of the country, followed by Sonny throwing money over the police barricade to incite the crowd. Sonny's partner Leon and Sonny's mother also arrive at the scene at separate points of time. Leon later attempts suicide to "get away from Sonny". The ride to the airport shows up late at night, where the feds bust Sonny upon arrival, and Sal gets shot to death.

Dog Day Afternoon was loosely based on the story of John Wojtowicz, who along with Sal Naturile, held up a bank in Brooklyn in 1972 to pay for his transgendered partner's sexual reassignment surgery. Apparently, the two would-be robbers had their hostages and the police quite entertained at their antics. Wojtowicz served fourteen years in prison for the crime, and was paid $7500 for the rights to his story; a third of which was given to his partner for her surgery.

Highly recommended.