Dog Day Afternoon: Movie Review

(Released in 1975, directed by Sidney Lumet)

A few weeks back I saw that this was playing on television, I'd never seen it before and I always had wanted to. The only thing that I remember coming from this film was the shouting of "Attica, Attica, Attica!"At the time I had no idea what that even really meant, except that it was about a prison. But as I've gotten a bit older I've learned some more about it, mostly from John Lennon. 

But anyway, I saw this film one afternoon by myself and as I began to watch it, again I did not know what to expect. I had no idea that it was going to take off that quickly in the beginning into the plot. It definitely sucks you right into the action which was really intriguing for the viewer.
All of the characters quickly fall into place, wonderfully setting up the scene. You instantly feel a sense of shock when you see Sonny (played by Al Pacino) pull out his gun, he commands the scene. Once again Al Pacino gives an amazing performance as Sonny Wortzik a down on his luck man trying to get some money for his lover. You'd think that this character robbing a bank would be cruel and evil, but the amazing thing is that he's not at all. He makes you feel for him and in a way understand where he's coming from. I personally didn't expect to feel that way coming into this film. It truly is a surprising piece of acting on Pacino's part, you really start to side with the "bad guy" and can understand what would push him to this point.
The amazing relationship that comes about with the robbers (Pacino and Cazale) and the hostages is something so unique and interesting to watch. There is this sense of camaraderie as the film progresses which is something you rarely see in a bank heist film. They almost become like a little mini family as they sit there held up for hours on end. Sonny never seems to even want to think about hurting anyone because all he really wants and needs is the money. There is this total character break down as the film moves along. For Sonny and Sal, they each are starting to rethink the whole idea and it really shows through the wonderful acting. Sonny seems to be getting deeper and deeper into insanity as the story moves along. He's lost and confused and isn't sure how to control the situation he got himself into. You, the viewer can feel this anguish radiating from him and you begin to pity the man.

It's a totally complex film and it makes you want to see it more than once because for one the acting is amazing and two it's just a while ride that you have to see again. It's a drama/comedy in a way which if you haven't seen it yet, you won't understand. I personally would like to see it again because it touches on so many different social and political issues of the time. It is an amazing achievement and is really worth the watch.

Leave a comment below and tell me what you thought of the film!

Rating:

★★★★★ 5/5 stars

Until Later,

Morgan

The Panic in Needle Park: Movie Review

So the other day I decided to watch "The Panic In Needle Park" (1971 d. Jerry Schatzberg) for the first time ever. I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I was watching it. I only knew that young Al Pacino was in it and that was a good enough reason for me. haha. I am in a slight Al Pacino phase at the moment, so bare with me.

I had just seen "Dog Day Afternoon" a few days before and totally loved it. So I decided I would see this film since his other one had been so good. 

(Btw, I've seen The Godfather too). 

So I hoped on to Netflix instant streaming and started to watch it. At first, I was a bit confused by the story line because you just sort of jump into the whole plot kind of quickly and you don't even get a chance to learn who these characters are. So to that affect it was kinda hard to follow. Like how did this girl Helen end up where she was, on the streets homeless? It never got into too much detail about that. I suppose the director didn't really want to focus so much on their pasts as he did their growing relationship with one another and what would ultimately start to happen as the film progressed.

I really loved how the director Jerry Schatzberg made the film feel so gritty and realistic with his shots of the other homeless druggies. It gave you this sort of sense like you were there with these people and seeing the story through their eyes. It was kind of amazing how he was able to convey that throughout the film. 

Al Pacino's performance in the film was totally believable and raw. I really enjoyed seeing the relationship between his character Bobby and Kitty Winn's character Helen blossom and transform throughout the film. They go through this amazing push and pull type of relationship as they are both spiraling out of control because of their addiction. In the beginning I felt this great happiness that they had found one another but as the film went on I wondered if they weren't both just messing up each others lives. 

Some of the scenes in the film were hard for me to look at, mostly the heroine use. I have a thing with needles and it's not good for me to watch. But other than that it wasn't too graphic of a film by my standards anyway. I think that this film really gets down to the core of what it was like to be hooked on hard drugs in the 1970's and I'm sure a lot of it still rings true today. You really get to see what the ups and downs are like for these people who got completely sucked into the drug community and how it changed their lives for the worse. But I believe that it also brings awareness to the fact that these kinds of drugs are really dangerous and have the ability to take away life in an instant, just for a short high. 

Overall, I think that this was a really great film. It made me look at certain situations in life differently. And helped me to understand people and their addictions better. It's a really long drawn out process and you have to want to get better for yourself or else you'll keep spiraling out of control.

Rating:

★★★★☆  4/5 stars

Until Later, 

Morgan