Dog Day Afternoon
Short description
Dog Day Afternoon follows two inexperienced robbers, Sonny and Sal, who walk into a Brooklyn bank on a hot afternoon intending to pull off a quick heist. The plan collapses almost immediately, leaving the pair trapped inside with employees as hostages while police, crowds of onlookers and television crews gather outside. What began as a robbery becomes a prolonged standoff, and Sonny's reasons for being there gradually come to light as the event turns into a public spectacle.
Sidney Lumet directed the film, the tenth of the twenty-six features listed in his filmography, arriving between Murder on the Orient Express and Network. Frank Pierson wrote the screenplay, and Martin Bregman and Martin Elfand produced it for Warner Bros. Al Pacino plays Sonny, with John Cazale as Sal, Charles Durning as Moretti, Chris Sarandon as Leon, James Broderick as Sheldon and Penelope Allen as Sylvia among a credited cast of thirty-nine. The story draws on a real Brooklyn bank robbery.
Made for about two million dollars, the film took roughly fifty million worldwide, a strong return on its production cost. On IMDb it holds 8 out of 10 from around 291,000 votes, and on TMDB 7.9 out of 10 from more than 3,500 votes. A critics' rating of 8.9 out of 10 from 125 reviews places it somewhat above those audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- The term "dog days" came into English from the Romans. They called the two hottest months of summer "dog days" (dies caniculares) in honor of the constellation Canis Major (the Greater Dog), which dominated the sky at this time of year (its alpha star being Sirius, or the "Dog Star" to the Romans). Around this time, dogs also tend to become agitated due to the heat.
- The film's plot is based on the article by P.F. Klaj and Thomas Moore, 'The Boys in the Bank'.
- The film is based on a real robbery that took place on August 22, 1972: two robbers burst into a bank and attempt to rob it, but... there's no money. They don't have time to escape when, within minutes, they are surrounded by 250 police officers, a crowd of onlookers, and television crews.
- The full name of the main character (Sonny) is Santino. This was the name of one of the characters in "The Godfather," which also starred Al Pacino and John Cazale.
- The film's action takes place during a hot summer. However, it was terribly cold during filming. Actors involved in scenes outside the bank were forced to constantly freeze their mouths with ice to prevent their warm breath from being visible.
- Originally, Sela was supposed to be played by an 18-year-old actor; that was how old the real Sela (Salvatore) was. However, the role eventually went to John Cazale.
- In the film, Sal tells one of the hostages that he doesn't smoke, explaining that he doesn't want to die of lung cancer. Ironically, the actor John Cazale, who played Sal, was a heavy smoker and died of lung cancer.
- Al Pacino and Chris Sarandon improvised their phone conversation.
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