Special Sidney Lumet
The Outsider: The Films of Sidney Lumet

Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

Hoezo in KINO

“ATTICA! ATTICA! ATTICA!” Sidney Lumet’s first installment of his magnificent double tap on society’s ever increasing sensationalization by the media (a year later he would direct Network) is based on a true story. Vietnam vet Sonny and his accomplice decide to rob a Brooklyn bank in broad daylight to bankroll a sex change for the former’s lover. What ensues is a hostage situation exploding into a media circus no one seems to control. Al Pacino and John Cazale are perfect together (as in The Godfather films) as partners in crime brimming with nervous energy when they are way in over their heads from the get-go, in one of the best films of the 1970’s. Period. English language without subtitles.

Credits

Regie
Sidney Lumet
Cast
Al Pacino, John Cazale, Charles Durning, Chris Sarandon
Genre
Drama, Misdaad
Speelduur
125 minuten
Land
VS
Taal
Engels
Ondertiteling
Geen

Storyline

When inexperienced criminal Sonny Wortzik (Al Pacino) leads a bank robbery in Brooklyn, things quickly go wrong, and a hostage situation develops. As Sonny and his accomplice, Sal Naturile (John Cazale), try desperately to remain in control, a media circus develops and the FBI arrives, creating even more tension. Gradually, Sonny’s surprising motivations behind the robbery are revealed, and his standoff with law enforcement moves toward its inevitable end.

KINO is proud to present a retrospective on the features of writer and director Sidney Lumet. The versatile filmmaker worked mainly outside of the Hollywood machine but always secured the greatest talent in front of his camera as his reputation as an ‘actor’s director’ secured no less than seventeen Oscar nominations for his leads. His beloved New York City was often not only a geographical setting but a vital asset in his films as he explored the metropole from its classiest office buildings to its seediest back alleys. Unlike for instance Coppola or Scorsese, Lumet’s oeuvre is less distinctive in style as he always adapted his artistic choices to serve the story, not to his own visual preferences. But he is one of the great humanist directors with a fantastic catalogue waiting to be explored and we are proud to present his biggest hits as well as his lesser known films in this thirteen feature retrospective.

Trailer: Baris Azman