Dog Day Afternoon

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Dog Day Afternoon

R

1975

2h 10m

Crime

Drama

LGBTQ+

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

94%

Tomatometer

125 Reviews

90%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

When inexperienced criminal Sonny Wortzik (Al Pacino) leads a bank robbery in Brooklyn, things quickly go wrong, and a hostage situation develops. As Sonny and his accomplice, Sal Naturile (John Cazale), try desperately to remain in control, a media circus develops, and the FBI arrives, creating even more tension. Gradually, Sonny's surprising motivations behind the robbery are revealed, and his standoff with law enforcement moves toward its inevitable end.

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Critics Consensus

Framed by great work from director Sidney Lumet and fueled by a gripping performance from Al Pacino, Dog Day Afternoon offers a finely detailed snapshot of people in crisis with tension-soaked drama shaded in black humor.

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Jeff Millar

Houston Chronicle

Mar 5

The film is wonderfully acted, truly in ensemble. Pacino's character lives in those vibrant brown eyes of his.

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Martin Knelman

Globe and Mail

Mar 5

It's a rewarding, richly detailed film -- not only the best work Sidney Lumet has ever done but also possibly the most perceptive movie ever made on the intriguing subject of New York City's collapse.

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Will Jones

Minneapolis Star Tribune

Mar 5

True the incident may have been, but Pierson, Lumet, Pacino and company have packed more art into the replaying of it than the last dozen works of pure film fiction anybody is likely to have seen.

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Ted Mahar

Oregonian

Mar 5

"Day" refuses to be classified. Comedy, drama, adventure, suspense -- it's all of them.

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Ed Hayman

Flint Journal

Mar 5

What Lumet has created, however, is an example of the very thing he warns against -- a report that is more concerned with spectacle and tasteless jokes than with understanding.

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Emerson Batdorff

Cleveland Plain Dealer

Mar 5

Pacino carries the picture, as much as it is carried, by sheer brilliance. Great acting, fine directing, all waiting for a movie to happen.

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Max

Sep 4

Awesome movie, probably Al Pacino’s best performance. This was my first time seeing the movie and it holds up 50 years later

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Shannon P

Sep 4

By turns funny and heartbreaking based on the true story of a bank robbery gone very wrong. Al Pacino was amazing two thumbs way up from me!

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Laurence P

@RT88530342 Apr 2

Ground breaking movie. Definitely one of Pacino’s best performances! In fact all the cast were fantastic! The Broadway play is really good also.

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Levi J

@Lev77 Mar 31

Not your usual bank heist film: suspenseful, well-acted, and superbly written!

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Daniel S

@RT37151421 Nov 22

"Dog Day Afternoon" comes out of the gate swinging , the opening grabs you fast, locking you into a tense, chaotic ride where the characters feel real, messy, and almost uncomfortably close. Al Pacino absolutely cooks in this movie, delivering one of his strongest performances ever. Charles Durning holds his own too, bringing legit weight to the hostage-negotiator role. And of course, Sidney Lumet knows exactly how to build pressure and set up a vibe that keeps you glued.. at least at first. But here’s the thing: after that killer start, the movie kinda loses its spark. The tension slowly cools down, scenes start dragging, and some of the energy that made the first half so gripping just.. slips. Instead of keeping the intensity high, the story drifts into long, drawn-out drama between Sonny, his lover, and his wife - and while those moments add depth, they also soften the edge the film worked so hard to sharpen. By the time we hit the finale, the climax feels more "okay, cool" than "OMG WHAT JUST HAPPENED," making the ending land with less impact than expected. Overall? It’s not one of Lumet’s all-time bests, but it is home to one of Pacino’s standout performances and a handful of unforgettable scenes. Still, as a full package, it doesn’t quite stick the landing.

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Jack F

@MovieFan111 Nov 20

I only watched it one time, and that might be the last time. It was whatever.

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Sidney Lumet

Director

Al Pacino

Sonny Wortzik

John Cazale

Salvatore

Charles Durning

Eugene Moretti

Chris Sarandon

Leon Shermer

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Synopsis

When inexperienced criminal Sonny Wortzik (Al Pacino) leads a bank robbery in Brooklyn, things quickly go wrong, and a hostage situation develops. As Sonny and his accomplice, Sal Naturile (John Cazale), try desperately to remain in control, a media circus develops, and the FBI arrives, creating even more tension. Gradually, Sonny's surprising motivations behind the robbery are revealed, and his standoff with law enforcement moves toward its inevitable end.

Director: Sidney Lumet
Producer: Martin Bregman, Martin Elfand
Screenwriter: Frank Pierson
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Artists Entertainment Complex
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 21, 1975, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 15, 2008
Runtime: 2h 10m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 35mm