Dog Day Afternoon (1975) First Time Watching! Movie Reaction! 

John Cazale was incredible in this film - just like he was in every film he did. Such a tragedy we lost him at such a relatively young age.

I can't believe Pacino didn't win a single Oscar in the 70s despite his masterpiece performances in both Godfather films and Dog Day Afternoon. Insane. He could have easily won 3 in a decade.

In the real bank robbery, Sal was only about 19 or 20, and his fear of returning to prison was for the abuse. Sonny wanted the money for Leon's operation. Sal wanted to get his sister out of foster care.

Attica is a prison in New York where in 1971 the inmates revolted. The police came in and 30 inmates and 10 prison employees were killed

The brightest star as seen from Earth is Sirius, The Dog Star. It's in the constellation Canis Major. It's fully visible in winter but the ancient Greeks knew that in late summer it was still there, with the the Sun being in front of Sirius. Meaning they were both in the daylit sky together during the very hottest part of the year. They thought Sirius was so bright it must be adding its heat to the Sun's heat. So even today we call the hottest part of summer "Dog Days." So Dog Day Afternoon means "A Hot, Hot Summer Afternoon."

I recommend 1976 Network, its by the same director

dont know why in the world John Cazale doesnt get more recognition...he is simply superb in every movie

The American cinema was reaching its maturity right about here. A masterclass of performance and one of the all-time great films.

One of the best films of the 1970's. And imho, one the the best films of all time. Pacino was nominated of an Oscar and he should've one. I highly recommend Serpico too. Which was also based on a True story. The book(Serpico)is a great read also.

Much of the film’s dialogue was improvised, most notably "ATTICA! ATTICA!" Al Pacino also didn't know that John Cazale was going to say "...Wyoming?" when asked what foreign country he wanted to escape to, and his reaction was completely genuine.

I love showing people this movie and telling them it's about a bank robbery and nothing else, they don't expect what it is, they aren't expecting to be chuckling during it. It just has it's own frequency as a movie.Thanks for reacting to it, it was a nice treat.

That last minute showing Sonny's expressions while watching the hostages leaving and Sal wheeled away are some of Pacino's finest acting moments. Not a word is spoken by him, but his eyes convey so much that you know exactly what he's thinking. Brilliant performance. Every performance by the stars and supporting actors is flawless and contribute so much to the story telling. This is what is missing in so many recent movies: brilliant supporting cast. One of the hostage girls smiling and waving to the camera crew, or giggling when watching TV... The cop behind Moretti making faces while listening to Leon's story... every detail and nuance is absolutely brilliant in this film. A masterpiece.

"Why don't you just keep working at a bank?" 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I believe DOG Day refers to a sweltering hot summer day!!! I've heard the phrase "the dog days of summer" and I believe it refers to days in August when it's especially hot!!!!

This is real cinema. Modern movies are commercially driven products compared to the 1970's golden age.

I love the casting here, specifically the switch from Charles Durning (a very intense actor) as Moretti, to James Broderick (father of Matthew) playing the FBI guy almost as a robot. Excellent contrast. BTW, that's a young Lance Henriksen ( "Aliens") as Agent Murphy.

John Cazale died so young at 42 of cancer , yet he was and still is an iconic actor , he was also the partner of Meryl Streep when he passed , they were each other's first loves and she has described him as the love of her life . Although they never married they both said they considered themselves married in this world and beyond .

I have kind of a weird history with this film. I first saw it on television in the late 70's when I was a kid, then I kind of forgot about it. I ended up watching it again sometime in the early 90's when I rented it on VHS. When I watched it in the 90's, it was a shock. It reminded me of what movies used to be like and what movies had NOT been for many years. Sometime in the late 70's (probably about the time Star Wars came out) and throughout the 80's, movies became much more clear cut in terms of who were the good guys and who were the bad guys - and I don't just mean action movies, but most movies in general. Dog Day Afternoon captured a real sense of chaos and confusion, with no real heroes or villains. It really stood out to me watching it in the early 90's and made me realize how most Hollywood movies had become pretty tame, at least in dealing with morally ambiguous characters and situations.

At 10:10 the guy who's playing Sonny's father and says, "Why rob a bank when you've got a sucker for a mother" is Dominic Chianese, who played Junior Soprano on The Sopranos and Johnny Ola in The Godfather Part II. The woman playing Sonny's mother also played Paulie's Aunt Dottie, the Nun who was on her deathbed, in The Sopranos. "Paulie, I was a bad girl."

A masterclass in filmmaking...Pacino's greatest performance!! He played the character as a guy who is looking for his moment in the sun, someone who wants to be seen. The phone call scene, mostly improvised, is devastatingly brilliant. And god bless John Cazale 🙏. Great reaction as always

John Cazale was called the actor with long hair, he had a very short acting career, because he died very young, I think he was 42 years old. Pacino has said that John was his inspiration in acting.

Hey I'm watching you from Algeria! it's a real country you know 🤣

My Dad was stationed in Delaware when this happened, and my cousin lived in that neighborhood where the bank was in 72. He came down for a visit with his parents right after and we heard and saw all about the robbery and circus. He had some Super 8 film he took while he was in the crowd. My Dad retired in 73 and we moved to So Cal and the movie came out my first year of college. From what I remember from my cousin's home movie, the crowds weren't THAT close but way closer than they would be today. Like most people have pointed out, Cazale and Pacino were on fire in the 70's. RIP JC. Great reaction as always.

Sidney Lumet MUSTS: Prince of the City, Night Falls on Manhattan, Deathtrap, Q&A, Serpico, The Verdict.. God, the man was a maverick ❤

Love the way you both react to movies! Been watching you both for years and watching other reactions but I believe you both are the best. Some react for views but you are both genuine, keep up the good work and looking forward to many more years of 'genuine' reactions.

Sad to know that Sal was actually just 19 when he was killed during the getaway attempt. John Cazale was almost 40 when Pacino suggested him for the role of Sal. Also, The Princess Bride's Prince Humperdink, Chris Sarandon, was great as Leon.

I saw this movie in the theater on first release with a friend of mine. Al Pacino was riding high so the theater was pretty full. The twists and turns throughout the movie kept everyone riveted as the story progressed, with the hostages starting to identify with Sonny and his problems and watching Sal slowly but surely losing his grip on the situation. When they were on the tarmac waiting for the plane and it seemed like Sonny and Sal were actually going to get away with it gave an unreal "feel good" feeling, but when Sal got shot in the head the whole audience gasped (and there were a few loud "NO"s) it was just such a gut punch. The rest of the movie and credits played out in audience silence. When the lights came up and people were leaving you could see quite a few were crying/wiping away tears.

Bellevue is a mental hospital in New York City. Carol Kane is in this film. She played Andy Kaufmann's girlfriend on Taxi.

If you can recall the "modest" woman from Inside Man who refused to take het clothes off - the actress appears in Dog Day Afternoon, and apparently she is the same character.

When you mentioned how the tone in the bank changed after Leon was brought into the story, i remember feeling that in the theater as well when i saw it. People as a whole were much more uptight about something like that back then.

I saw this movie a long time ago when i was in the "I need to watch old movies" phase. Did not disappoint

John Cazale died from lung cancer at only age 42. In his career he only starred in five feature films - The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather Part II, Dog Day Afternoon and The Deer Hunter. All five films were nominated for Best Picture (The Godfather, The Godfather Part II and The Deer Hunter all won). The Conversation and The Godfather Part II, both directed by Francis Ford Coppola, actually came out in the same year so they were competing against each other for Best Picture.

The driver who shot Sal in the end was Lance Henriksen (Bishop from "Aliens").

I have a soft spot for this movie because the exteriors were shot down the street from where I used to live: 18th St and Prospect Park West in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn. I’m still close by and walk that block often.

I think the authorities probably saw Sal as a, possible, loose canon. So they, probably, felt he was the most likely of the two to harm someone. Great movie!

9:46* there it is! ATTICA ATTICA ATTICA ATTICA!

Great movie, cool to see a young Lance Henriksen in a small role and this is one of Pacino's best performances.

Samantha's "Hello" is so cute. I love you guys.

Al Pacino was on a roll in the 1970s. Dog Day Afternoon was the fourth straight year that Pacino received an Oscar nomination, but it was also a continuation of his unfortunate losing streak. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in 1972 for The Godfather (which was ridiculous, since he was the lead role and had more screen time than Marlon Brando) and lost to Joel Grey for Cabaret; Best Actor for Serpico in 1973 (losing to Jack Lemmon for Save the Tiger); The Godfather Part II in 1974 (losing to Art Carney for Harry and Tonto); and Best Actor for Dog Day Afternoon in 1975 (losing to Jack Nicholson for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest). His next Oscar nomination would not come until 1979 for ...And Justice For All (losing to Dustin Hoffman for Kramer vs. Kramer). It wouldn't be until 1992 when Al Pacino would finally win the Oscar for Best Actor for Scent of a Woman.

3:12 "oh, they do have cameras." -Daniel still not many cell phones.

The actor playing the lead detective (Charles Durning) is a World War II hero: Silver Star; Bronze Star; three Purple Hearts. He can also sing and dance. In fact, if you want to see him in an entirely different role, singing and dancing, RU-vid - Best Little Whorehouse in Texas sidestep. I believe he was even nominated for an Academy Award because of that small role.

FBI Agent Sheldon is played by James Broderick. If the last name sounds familiar it should, He's the father of Matthew "Ferris Bueller" Broderick. James was in another classic film of the 70s - The Taking of Pelham 123.

One of Al Pacino's best performances. With both Godfathers, Serpico, Dog Day, and the underrated And Justice For All (all Oscar nominated roles) Al was on fire in the 70s.

Dog Day refers to the hottest days of the summer season. It was believed, back then, that it was during this time of the year that there was a rise in rabies cases among dogs, and tempers and patience were very thin.

"What happens if that cop missed?" AGENT MURPHY DOESN'T MISS!!!

1) Historical context. Financial pressures were probably a big element. Although the incident this was based on occurred in 1972, this was filmed in 1974, the year after the Oil Crisis, and the filmmakers probably thought audiences would find financial pressures even more relatable. 2) The actor playing Sonny's wife, Leon, is Chris Sarandon, the first husband of Susan Sarandon, and whose name she has since kept. He's probably most familiar to you as Prince Humperdinck in The Princess Bride. 3) It's really kinda incredible just how much Sonny is a complete bungler, someone who clearly has no idea what he's doing, and he's so brilliantly portrayed by Al Pacino as an entirely different type of criminal from Michael Corleone and then again from Tony Montana, and you never once question that that's who that person is. Tons of A-list actors play roles that so often feel like the same character over and over-Arnie, Bruce Willis, Will Smith, Sly-and most of those end up still being pretty great, if not amazing, but this, and just the next year after Godfather II I thought really showed Pacino's range.

Great film. I recommend watching Serpico with Al Pacino, it's based on a true story. Also, I see Paris Texas on the poll that's a great film as well.

Al Pacino back when he was giving amazing performances one after another - before his over acting yelling phase which he never stopped. Such a great performance.

Thanks to TBR and Samantha! 🏦 The great Sidney Lumet directed. 🔸 Since you wondered about the term "dog day"... dog days are the hottest days of summer which also indicate a lack of progress (since it's too hot to work during such heat). Even in ancient times, dog days of summer had become associated with bad luck.

You guys really dig deep. Much appreciated!

3:01 "Oh they do have cameras" LOL including the one to film this movie

Moretti was so stressed by this, he ended up becoming a priest In Lynbrook New York and then was stressed by the Barone family for years.

Al Pacino was the 70s Imagine Acting in The godfather , Serpico , The godfather 2 and Dog Day Afternoon back to back

Major props for this reaction ! Being Pacono's first, this classic gets far too overlooked. My favorite Pacino film period. Funny I feel this film would recive more backlash now due to the weaponizing of Partsan poitics. It would be accused of being too woke😂

Great John Cazale (Sal Naturily) who unfortunately died on March 12, 1978 at just 42/43 years old from aggressive cancer. When he died, he was engaged to young actress Maryl Streep, who was only 28 at the time and suffered greatly from his loss. John Cazale passed away before the release of his last film, The Deer Hunter with Robert de Niro, Christopher Walken, John Savage and Maryl Streep herself

You notice a young BISHOP from ALIENS ? Attica was also a true story about a prison big shooting where they even shot the guards.

When Sonny asked Sal what country he wanted to go to, Sal was not supposed to say anything. He ad-libbed "Wyoming" and director Lumet almost blew the take because he started laughing. I was lucky enough to have met the films' editor Dede Allen. Such a nice woman. The opening song by Elton John was just a placeholder she used while editing. Director Lumet loved it and kept it. There is not ONE second of music for the rest of the film.

One of the best movies of the seventies hands down

Cool reaction as always Schmitt & Samantha, you both take care and have a good night

Chris Sarandon, who played Al Pacino's lover, was Susan Sarandon's first husband and voiced Jack Skellington in the Nightmare Before Christmas.

Yes, DDA was a very topical film...one of the best of the 70s. It was clever in its deceit depicting a simple bank robbery, but showing so much more. It was brilliant in its simplicistic subtly. The filming took place just a few blocks from where I use to live in Park Slope Brooklyn. Back in the 70s. I made it too late to get in on the crowd scene to make it into the movie. I believe that they turned a dry cleaners into the bank. Good review guys.

The guy in the brown suit and that held up his fingers and said ten minutes, while waiting for the bus that’s Matthew Brodericks dad ( Ferris Bueller)(tan suit)

16:00, John Cazale did, in fact, die from cancer in 1978 after years of chain smoker, which is very sad and tragic.

I took a criminal justice class in college taught by an ex NYPD cop. He said the prison in Attica was stormed by New York State troopers. The resulting deaths were not casued by NYPD cops.

That Attica line was ad libbed. The reference was to the Attica prison riot in 1970 (?). Guards were taken hostage by inmates demanding better conditions. NY State Police retook the prison with a lot of bloodshed. Sopranos connection: Sonny's dad was played by none other than Uncle Junior and the bank manager was played by the same actor who played Carmela's psychiatrist.

"The Attica Prison Riot, also known as the Attica Prison Rebellion, the Attica Uprising, or the Attica Prison Massacre, took place at the state prison in Attica, New York; it started on September 9, 1971, and ended on September 13 with the highest number of fatalities in the history of United States prison uprisings. Of the 43 men who died (33 inmates and 10 correctional officers and employees), all but one guard and three inmates were killed by law enforcement gunfire when the state retook control of the prison on the final day of the uprising. The Attica Uprising has been described as a historic event in the prisoners' rights movement."

As a life long fan of bank robbery and heist films I think can safely state this is one of the most pleasantly unique examples from that genre.

One of my 'Top 5' films of all time. Great acting, editing and storytelling.

Pacino is great, but my goodness his 70s era is BY FAR his greatest, creatively. ... And Justice For All and Scarecrow feature his absolute best performances of the 70s, if not of his entire career.

In the director's commentary, Sidney Lumet notes that both robbers and police really were that disorganized. The bank robbers had no plan beyond what order they'd go into the bank. The police had never had to deal with a hostage situation like this, so they were making things up as they went.

Awesome reaction y'all. Glad y'all loved it.

John Cazale was from Revere Ma. and once went to the prom with my buddy's sister back in the day. He's buried in the same cemetery as many of my family - Holy Cross in Malden, Ma. So young. So sad... 😥

Marcia Jean Kurtz was a bank worker held hostage in this movie and she was a hostage in the Denzel Washington movie Inside Man as well.

The phrase Dog Day Afternoon means, the dog days of summer. Its still a phrase that is used to this day.

That sequence when he talks to both wives and his mom made me feel all the pressure and stress he was under. There was a case out here in California where the robber tried that move of walking out surrounded by the hostages. The cops threw some flashbangs and shot and killed a hostage in the resulting chaos but the robber was captured. Van Cleef & Arpels 1986 if you want to read about it.

The policeman negotiating was played by Charles Durning, a WW2 vet who served at Normandy and The Battle of the Bulge in 1944. The lead FBI agent was played by James Broderick, the father of Matthew.

Oh heck yeah. Watched as soon as youtube showed me this

The same actor that delivers the pizza also delivers the pizza in Inside Man

The actor who played Leon, also played Humperdinck in The Princess Bride. And the young blonde girl in the bank played Miracle Max’s wife.

The character of Leon was played by Chris Sarandon, who also played the vampire in Fright Night.

Bellvue is a famous mental hospital in New York City

The cop who was driving the bus was played by Lance Hendrickson who became an actor after leaving the Merchant Marines despite being illiterate.

7:31 Thank you, Sam, for being the voice of compassion.

Pacino was a DYNAMO in the 70's! Hope you add "And Justice For All" & "Serpico" to your ""must see" list.✨️💛✨️

John Wojtowicz (Sonny) was an army Vetren fell in love with and married Elizabeth Debbie Eden formerly Ernest Aron (Leon), a transgender woman in 1972. Desperately, he tried to get her money to for her surgery. He was captured (events of the film) and sent to prison, but he only served 6 years. -- The Attica scene was done by Al Pachino off the cuff. The director decided to include it in the film. Attica was a terrible prison revolt which had happened a year earlier in 1971. The prisoners took hostages. During the assault to retake the prison, 29 inmates and 10 hostages are killed, and many more were wounded.

Yes, Network is a must watch! I weirdly watched that movie on the train almost every time I traveled back home from college for the holidays

Chris sarandon who played Leon also played Prince Humperdinck in the princess bride.

Another winner by Sidney Lumet, who directed 12 Angry Men.

The fact this is based on a true story and seeing your reaction shows how much has changed in 50 years

The dog days of summer are from early July through early September. They're called that because Sirius, the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major ("the big dog") rises with the sun during those days. In places like New York, the dog days are usually very hot. The movie takes place on August 22, during the dog days, which is how the movie got its name. They didn't say so in the movie, but it was probably the insurance guy from across the street who called the police. He could tell something was wrong from the smoke coming out of the building, and the bank manager's demeanor when he came over to find out what was happening. Those guys in civilian clothing with the guns were probably plainclothes detectives. It looked like every cop from the surrounding precincts was there. Bellevue is one of the main public hospitals in New York. It has a large mental ward, and is where they take people who are in crisis or can't take care of themselves. Attica is a prison in New York State. There had been a riot there in 1971 (the year before the robbery) that led to a very harsh and controversial response by the guards and the police. 33 inmates and 10 guards were killed. There was a lot of distrust of authority in the 70s, and a general feeling in New York City that the place was going to hell. That's why Sonny was able to get most of the crowd on his side. I wouldn't be so hard on the security guard. Once Sonny and Sal had their guns out, there was nothing he could do. Any attempt on his part to stop the robbery could have gotten a bunch of innocent people killed. John Cazale was also in The Conversation (1974), starring Gene Hackman, and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. It came out between the first two Godfather movies. It's an excellent film, and I'd love for you to react to it. Of all of Al Pacino's movies, the one I'd most like to see you react to is Glengarry Glen Ross (1992). It also stars Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, Alan Arkin, Kevin Spacey, and Ed Harris. David Mamet wrote the screenplay.

If you're going to do more Al Pacino movies you really should do Serpico and And Justice for All.

I saw this at the movie theater when it first came out - I was in high school - and it was amazing! Everyone in this film gave a stellar performance. Pacino and Cazale were wonderful and Chris Sarandon, as Leon was nominated for an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a New York Film Critics Circle Award for his awesome performance. Isn’t it insane that this is a true story!? In fact, “Sonny Wortzik,” whose last name is actually spelled “Wojtowicz,” died in 2006 of cancer.

P.S. A little love for the extremely talented Charles Durning. Multi-talented and had some diversity of character roles. Started out as a song and dance man, and if you catch him in the TV movie, “Queen of the Stardust Ballroom,” you can see that he still had that charm and twinkle in the eyes.

Thank you for this. I've loved it for a long time.

Here we go

Love this channel! You two be safe! Amazing movie!

The "dog days" is often referenced to the hottest days of the summer months (usually in mid-August) ... but can also mean any especially trying period of time. In the song by Florence and the Machine, she's singing about getting through the hardest of time and now we're in a better place.

Sad, Pacino’s robber partner was sitting with the women and they were smoking and he said he didn’t want to get “the Cancer “ and in real life he died of Cancer.

3:22 - “I assume these places have insurance.” Well, the main thing to remember is that banks don’t own the money inside them; it’s effectively on loan to them from customers. So the bank itself would need two broad categories of insurance to protect against loss during a robbery. The first is insurance to reimburse themselves for things like property damage, or to pay settlements if they get sued by a customer or employee who got injured during the robbery; things like that. I can only guess about how well insured banks are for something like this; but I, too, would assume they’ve done the math and made the sensible choice. The second type of insurance is for the money that customers have entrusted to the bank. All U.S. banks are required to have this kind of insurance, with premiums paid to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). If your bank gets robbed (or goes bankrupt, which was the original concern back during the Great Depression), then the government will guarantee customer funds are reimbursed (up to $250k, but whomst among us has that in their checking account?).

Pacino was great in And Justice For All from 1979. A great performance with memorable lines ("You're out of order, you're out of order, this whole trial is out of order!") and plenty of other familiar actors too. It's a legal drama with a great script co-written by Barry Levinson. I'd really enjoy seeing that movie get some attention.