dvd of the week
While you don’t need to see Dog Day Afternoon to understand The Dog, seeing it will help you appreciate both films more. Directed by Sidney Lumet at the height of his powers and written by great Frank Pierson, Dog Day Afternoon is one of the great films of the 1970s, which is really saying something about the golden era of American filmmaking. The film is both hyper-realistic – gritty, naturally lit scenes of sweaty, desperate people – and wryly satirical – with the depiction of the ethically challenged media, the bumbling police and crowds delightfully entertained. Pacino’s performance is arguably his greatest, his mannered and explosive acting at its most effective. He’s both aggravating and heartbreaking; the scene during which he dictates his will, believing he would be killed by the police, leaving his life insurance money to both of his wives is immensely affecting, while the screaming sidewalk arguments with the police are classic Pacino. In a good way.
