Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

On a hot afternoon in Brooklyn, two optimistic losers set out to rob a bank. Sonny (Al Pacino) is the mastermind and Sal (John Cazale) is the follower. However, the robbery results in a disaster and a media circus. Based on the magazine article THE BOYS IN THE BANK by P.F. Kluge and Thomas Moore and directed by Sidney Lumet (MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS). Inspired by an actual incident, Frank Pierson's Oscar winning screenplay takes a generous amount of artistic license and the result is an intoxicating crime drama laced with black comedy. I'm not Sidney Lumet's biggest fan but he does a fine job here. I think this is Al Pacino's best performance, there's not a flaw that I can pick on. The casting is spot on (all the actresses playing the bank teller hostages are great). Surprisingly considering the two gay characters in the movie are unstable whack jobs, there was none of the blowback from the gay community that greeted films like BASIC INSTINCT, CRUSING and SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. With Chris Sarandon, Charles Durning, Penelope Allen, James Broderick, Carol Kane, Lance Henriksen and Sully Boyar.