Dog Day Afternoon

Synopsis

One hot summer afternoon, Sonny and his sidekick Sal attempt to rob a New York bank. Things go wrong from the start however, and soon the two inept criminals have taken hostages and are under siege. The situation rapidly becomes a media circus, with Sonny the star as he baits the police and gets the crowds on his side. Director Sidney Lumet's tense but often very funny thriller catches the countercultural mood of the time, with Pacino's wired Vietnam War veteran coming across as the anti-establishment hero, rather than villain of the piece.