Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

Dog Day Afternoon

• In the 1970’s Al Pacino starred in 8 films: ‘The Panic in Needle Park’, ‘The Godfather’, ‘Scarecrow’, ‘Serpico’, ‘The Godfather Part II’, ‘Dog Day Afternoon’, ‘Bobby Deerfield’, and ‘...And Justice for All’. It’s one of the greatest runs an actor has ever gone on in a single decade. John Cazale also had an amazing run in the 70’s. He starred in ‘The Godfather’, ‘The Conversation’, ‘The Godfather Part II’, ‘Dog Day Afternoon’, and ‘The Deer Hunter’. Needless to say, the 70’s belonged to Pacino and Cazale, and they shared the screen three different times, including in this one. I’m just amazed by the sheer amount of talent they both hold. Not just being selected for critically acclaimed movies, but absolutely delivering each time. I loved Pacino in this, as he was wiry, energetic, and borderline crazy. Cazale was also great, though more on the quiet side (much like The Godfather’s). A lot of the movie was improv, which added to the authentic and realistic feel of it all. It definitely paid off. The true events this movie was based on were also really interesting, and I’ll definitely be spending some time on Wikipedia reading more into it. I’m curious to see how accurate the movie is. True crime is always intriguing, especially when it’s adapted onto the big screen. I won’t go into specifics, just because seeing this for the first time was definitely thrilling. I do think the movie slows down with dialogue as it progresses, which can make it tedious to sit through sometimes. But, overall, the movie is well made, well written, and has some great performances. It’s one I know I’ll watch again, and I’d recommend it to all crime/thriller fans. This film is officially Berry Approved, so go watch it now!