Dog Day Afternoon

Genre: crime drama

With: Al Pacino (Sonny Wortzik), John Cazale (Sal), Charles Durning (Det. Sgt. Eugene Moretti), Chris Sarandon (Leon Shermer), Sully Boyar (Mulvaney), Penelope Allen (Sylvia Benson), James Broderick (Sheldon), Carol Kane (Jenny), Beulah Garrick (Margaret), Sandra Kazan (Deborah), Marcia Jean Kurtz (Miriam), Gary Springer (Stevie), John Marriott (Howard Calvin), Susan Peretz (Angie)

Director: Sidney Lumet

Screenplay: Frank Pierson (from an article by P.F. Kluge and Thomas Moore and a book by Leslie Waller)

Release: 1975

Studio: Artists Entertainment Complex, Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution

Rating: R

MBiS score: 8.7/10 

 

If Everything Else Fails, Improvise   

 

QuickView

Story-line: Brooklyn, a sultry day in August, 1972. One after the other, Sal, Sonny and Stevie enter a bank just before closing time and their intentions become abundantly clear when Sal draws a machine gun in full view of the manager. Yes, this is a holdup… but not the kind you would normally expect.      

Pluses: one of Al Pacino’s strongest performances ever, great support from John Cazale, Charles Durning, James Broderick, a splendid cast and a feisty crowd, a dramatic and suspenseful screenplay that doubles as a dark comedy of errors with its clumsy robbers and malevolent cops, tight helming that keeps things tongue-in-cheek and stokes tension relentlessly, appropriate production values and a potent ending.

Minuses: the language used is frequently foul but certainly adds realism to the story.  

Comments: this extraordinary picture, which is based on an actual event, turns its premise into a poignant illustration of human misery as Sonny and his gang, far from being hardened criminals, are basically decent guys facing desperate prospects in life. DOG DAY AFTERNOON, another landmark work from the golden 70s in American cinema, may depict a lousy heist but stands as a perfect movie.

MBiS 

© 2021 – All rights reserved

 Naked City

Genre: crime drama (in black and white)

With: Barry Fitzgerald (Det. Lt. Daniel Muldoon), Howard Duff (Frank Niles), Dorothy Hart (Ruth Morrison), Don Taylor (James Halloran), Frank Conroy (Capt. Sam Donahue), House Jameson (Dr. Lawrence Stoneman), Anne Sargent (Janet Halloran), Ted de Corsia (Willy Garzah), Mark Hellinger (the narrator)

Director: Jules Dassin

Screenplay: Albert Maltz and Malvin Wald (from a story by Malvin Wald)

Release: 1948

Studio: Hellinger Productions, Universal International Pictures

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.5/10

 

 ‟There are 8 million stories in the naked city.”

  

QuickView

Story-line: after sunset in New York City, most people relax, party on or work in the shadows for the benefit of others but a few use the cover of darkness to indulge in criminal behaviour. On this particular night, two men enter Jean Dexter’s apartment and murder the 26-year-old model for reasons unknown and perfectly horrible. Looks like another difficult case for Detective Lt. Muldoon and his colleagues at the NYPD...

Pluses: a strong cast led by a determined Barry Fitzgerald, a well-structured and meticulous screenplay full of twists, turns and briskly delivered dialogues, diligent and focused direction, sharp cinematography (William Daniels), convenient production values and an evocative musical score by Miklós Rózsa and Frank Skinner. 

Minuses: none I can think of.

Comments: from its voice-over intro to its stunning climax, NAKED CITY is what movie experts describe as a police procedural. It follows Muldoon and his team as they learn the facts and gather evidence, interrogate witnesses and sift through statements, alibis and lies in an effort to crack this stumper of a crime case. Although methodical to a fault, Jules Dassin's account of police work maintains interest throughout and does honour to a throbbing city we call the Big Apple. Quality time for movie buffs.   

 

MBiS 

© 2021 – All rights reserved