Flick of The Day: Dog Day Afternoon

The truth is something which Hollywood has a difficult relationship with. How often have you seen "Based on a true story" or the decidedly more vague "Based on real events" only to find out that reality is a different story entirely. Today's flick of the day then is a rare thing, a Hollywood picture that is a true story that occurred on a Summer afternoon in August 1972 in Brooklyn.

Dog Day Afternoon [Blu-ray]

On a sunny afternoon just before closing time, three men enter a branch of the Chase Manhattan in Brooklyn, New York. They are there to rob the bank, each for different reasons. They are led by Sonny, a manic Al Pacino as a desperate loser trying to raise money for his lover's sex change operation and Sal, played by the brilliant John Cazale. What was meant to be a quick job quickly goes awry and within the hour, the bank is surrounded by hundreds of police, TV cameras and crowds of onlookers. The police negotiator is the hapless Moretti played by Charles Durning. Of course it soon descends into a circus, and a panicked Sonny requests a plane and plots their escape. However, it is apparent that the end is nigh when the FBI, led by the cold Agent Sheldon, take over the negotiations.

Directed by Sydney Lumet, whose work we have seen before here on The Daily Flick with The Verdict and The Pawnbroker, this film is a small triumph. By remaining true to the real life story, it gives the film a documentary feel which is heightened by the use of long angles from TV cameras and helicopter footage. As the emotional heart of the film, Al Pacino carries a weight on his shoulders but he delivers in style. His characterisation of Sonny is filled with pathos and a healthy dose of reality. His performance carries the film but is ably supported by Cazale, an actor whose filmography though only 5 films long reads like a list of the great film's of the 1970s. 

How close to reality is the film? Well without giving too much away in terms of plot, it keeps the basic premise of the story but changes events slightly to aid in the telling. The character of Sonny, was based on John Wojtowicz, and after using the funds he received from selling his story to pay for his lover's sex change died of cancer in 2006.

Sonny: Kiss me. 

Det. Sgt. Eugene Moretti: What? 

Sonny: Kiss me. When I'm being fucked, I like to get kissed a lot.

The real genius of the film is managing to portray the lunacy of the situation without downplaying the seriousness of it. This is no romantic tale, neither side cover themselves in glory. The thieves appear to have no clue how much trouble they are in while the police seem hell bent on ending the siege in a hail of gunfire.

One of the classic films of a great decade for cinema, Dog Day Afternoon is led by a bravura performance from Al Pacino as a classic antihero. The film makes great use of the location shooting and like so many films of the period examines contemporary issues of race, sexuality and crime while still providing an intelligent, entertaining film. All in all, a film that has to be seen.

Flick of The Day: The Taking of Pelham One Two Three

One of the unfortunate traits of the film industry is that eventually every film, the great and the good and the genuinely mediocre will get remade with John Travolta playing a prominent role. Today's flick of the day is another fine example of this trend. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, a taut 1972 thriller was remade in 2009 by Tony Scott in an infinitely inferior version.

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three

On a quiet afternoon in New York City, four men take control of a New York Subway train, Pelham 123 packed with commuters. Led by Mr Blue, icily played by Robert Shaw, they demand payment of $1m  in an hour or they will start killing passengers. On the other end of the radio is Transit Cop Garber, played by Walther Matthau. He has to stop the hijackers from following through while the money is raised and keeping the more aggressive members of the police in check.

Mr. Blue: Ladies and gentlemen, it might interest you to know that the City of New York has agreed to pay for your release. 

[Hostages cheer] 

Old Man: Excuse me, sir. Do you mind telling me how much you're getting? 

Mr. Blue: What's it to you, sir? 

Old Man: A person likes to know his worth. 

Mr. Blue: One million dollars. 

Old Man: That's not so good.

This film was the box office popcorn flick of its day, a simple story told well with two strong performances from Matthau and Shaw. It is interesting to compare the choice of actor with the remake for it is the strongest reason why a remake was unnecessary. Robert Shaw was always an actor of substance, in a career cut short by his untimely death at aged 51, he played a host of stellar roles. In the remake, his role is played by John Travolta. Not much one can really add to that. Apart from the cast, the other strength of the film is the shooting on location in New York. The city becomes an additional character to the plot. Add this to a script that cleverly ratchets up the tension to a grand finale, and you have a fine action picture.

Mr. Blue: Now, then, ladies and gentlemen, do you see this gun? It fires 750 rounds of 9-millimeter ammunition per minute. In other words, if all of you simultaneously were to rush me, not a single one of you would get any closer than you are right now. I do hope I've made myself understood.

Directed by Joseph Sargent from a source novel, the film really catches the zeitgeist of 1970's New York, a city with a host of problems having almost gone bankrupt. The various commuters that populate the film act as a great cross section of New York society. Sargent was mainly a TV director, and the craft honed on the small screen such as his efficient use of an ensemble cast shines through.

All in all, a fine film and a great example of an early 70's blockbuster. Driven by strong performances from Robert Shaw and Walther Matthau and an action filled script, this is well worth a second look.

Flick of The Day: Blood & Wine

Director Bob Rafelson and Jack Nicholson have had a career long partnership, resulting in two of the best films to come out of the '70s generation, Five Easy Pieces and The King of Marvin Gardens. Rafelson has said that this film, acts an unofficial finale to a trilogy started with the above.

Blood and Wine

Alex Gates, a dark and increasingly haggard Jack Nicholson, is a well to do wine merchant, whose business and marriage are quickly floundering in the Miami sunshine. His prescription drug addicted wife is resentful and suspicious of where he spends his nights, quite rightly too as it turns out. His step-son, a very young Stephen Dorff, has little but contempt for him. Meanwhile he is plotting with an ageing terminally ill Michael Caine to steal a million dollar diamond from a wealthy client. Add to this maelstrom, Jennifer Lopez as a scheming Cuban immigrant and you have a classic film noir setup.

Caine and Nicholson play well off each other, playing grotesque versions of themselves. Caine is excellent as old con getting more desperate as he gets closer to his reckoning. Nicholson is equally adept as a man reaching the end of his tether, largely due to his own mistakes. If there is one problem with all this, its that none of the characters are particularly likeable, and consequently you don't find yourself rooting for anyone as the double and triple crosses take hold as we head toward a denouement. Only Dorff comes out with any credit, as the strangely sullen son, who has no apparent interest in the wealth the diamond might bring.

Jennifer Lopez, deserves credit for making more of a role that otherwise would have faded into the background. Ultimately the film leads to a dissatisfying ending for all concerned but its interesting all the same, for the interplay between Nicholson & Caine, who have never worked together before. Like all film noir you get dragged into the tale and want to see where it goes, this one doesn't go where you want it.

Flick of The Day: The Good Thief

A very loose remake of the classic French gangster film, Bob Le Flambeur directed by Jean Pierre Melville, this Neil Jordan directed film is not so much a remake as a re-imagining, much like Wener Herzog's take on The Bad Lieutenant which we reviewed a few weeks back.

The Good Thief

Nick Nolte is superb as Bob, the junkie former thief who is living in semi-retirement on the French Riviera, gambling away his life savings but still retaining a sense of honour and chivalry exhibited by a scene early on in which Bob crosses the path of a local gangster to help a young Russian girl who has been trafficked into the country. Nolte captures the role of a dissolute wastrel perfectly. As is always the way, a broke Bob has to take on One Last Big Job. A cliché as old the Hollywood hills but it doesn't really matter, the script pulls it all together. Neil Jordan has always been able to populate his films with snappy and witty dialogue and The Good Thief is no exception;

Bob: It's a good fake, though. (While viewing a painting)
Tony Angel: Isn't that a contradiction in terms? A Good Fake? A Happy Homosexual?

The film has a fine supporting cast drawn from across the globe, giving the film a cosmopolitan feel but Nick Nolte steals every scene. His Bob is always there with a witty quip or a rambling story of the old days such as how he obtained his Picasso. The other star is the French scenery, the film was filmed on location in Monaco and Nice. The back streets of Nice teem with immigrant life and some fine camera work from cinematographer that captures the neon night scape that Bob roams through.

Bob le Flambeur - Criterion Collection

The heist when it comes is enjoyable. There is something about seeing a Casino lose a large some of money that warms the heart. All in all, a film worthy of your attention and deserves to be seen by more people then the tiny minority who saw it upon its blink and you've missed it cinematic release.