John-Cazale Movie Reviews

If you haven't seen this fantastic movie, let me tell you that you are missing what it's perhaps the best movie of all time. It's just perfect. You just can't miss when you put together the direction of Francis Ford Coppola at the top of his game, superb performances from great actors like Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, James Caan, Robert Duvall and John Cazale, beautiful music from the composer Nino Rota, and a memorable cinematography courtesy of Gordon Willis.

There are a lot of timeless scenes in this mob film ("I believe in America"), plenty of quoting lines ("I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse"), fabulous supporting characters (Luca Brasi), and the list can go on and on and on. In my opinion, this is the movie that beats all the rest of the films. I think that all movie fan collection must include "The Godfather". If you haven't seen it yet and you are looking for a fantastic film, go see a classic film, go see "The Godfather".

Absolutely recommendable.

I stumbled across this classic on cable TV a few evenings ago and that was it: I abandoned all other plans for the evening and watched the movie. Then I retrieved Mario Puzo's novel from my book collection and plowed through it, savoring and relishing this extraordinary piece of literature that had such an impact on our cultural landscape thirty-plus years ago.

Francis Ford Coppola's THE GODFATHER is a triumphant, magnificent screen portrayal of Puzo's epic book. The story of an Italian-American mob "family" entrenched in inherent and often desperate violence, Coppola weaves this film with compelling, moving, and haunting visuals that are as beautiful as they are disturbing. The scenes are at once simplistic and complex, yet such a dichotomy is not lost on the viewer, but embraced--appreciated for its overwhelming genius.

I've seen more than my fair share of Marlon Brando films, and in my opinion the character of Don Vito Corleone is this actor's signature role. Brando effectively portrays the Godfather's compassion, love and devotion to his family, and calm acumen to make "business" decisions that literally mean life or death to countless men. Don Vito is both a family man and a killer: two seemingly inconsistent characteristics that make Brando's portrayal even more remarkable. The rest of the cast, including James Caan and Robert Duvall, is exceptional, but it is Al Pacino as young Michael Corleone--Don Vito's "baby boy" who was not meant to enter the family business--who provides the most telling role in this film. Before our very eyes, we see Michael change from a man eager to remain at arms-length to the Corleone family ventures to a ruthless, cold-blooded Godfather himself--a transformation both astounding and eery.

THE GODFATHER is a feast of unforgettable cinematic moments: from an ambush at a toll booth to a bloody horse head wrapped in satin sheets. Puzo's story is told--told through filmmaking as good as it gets.
--D. Mikels

One of the best films I have ever seen with a lot of memorable scenes and classic lines. On top of that probably the best directing ever and a perfect cast.

Don Corleone, I honor you!

Memorable dialogue to the last word (Michael is it true? No!).

If you haven't seen this fantastic movie, let me tell you that you are missing what it's perhaps the best movie of all time. It's just perfect. You just can't miss when you put together the direction of Francis Ford Coppola at the top of his game, superb performances from great actors like Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, James Caan, Robert Duvall and John Cazale, beautiful music from the composer Nino Rota, and a memorable cinematography courtesy of Gordon Willis.

There are a lot of timeless scenes in this mob film ("I believe in America"), plenty of quoting lines ("I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse"), fabulous supporting characters (Luca Brasi), and the list can go on and on and on. In my opinion, this is the movie that beats all the rest of the films. I think that all movie fan collection must include "The Godfather". If you haven't seen it yet and you are looking for a fantastic film, go see a classic film, go see "The Godfather".

Absolutely recommendable.

I stumbled across this classic on cable TV a few evenings ago and that was it: I abandoned all other plans for the evening and watched the movie. Then I retrieved Mario Puzo's novel from my book collection and plowed through it, savoring and relishing this extraordinary piece of literature that had such an impact on our cultural landscape thirty-plus years ago.

Francis Ford Coppola's THE GODFATHER is a triumphant, magnificent screen portrayal of Puzo's epic book. The story of an Italian-American mob "family" entrenched in inherent and often desperate violence, Coppola weaves this film with compelling, moving, and haunting visuals that are as beautiful as they are disturbing. The scenes are at once simplistic and complex, yet such a dichotomy is not lost on the viewer, but embraced--appreciated for its overwhelming genius.

I've seen more than my fair share of Marlon Brando films, and in my opinion the character of Don Vito Corleone is this actor's signature role. Brando effectively portrays the Godfather's compassion, love and devotion to his family, and calm acumen to make "business" decisions that literally mean life or death to countless men. Don Vito is both a family man and a killer: two seemingly inconsistent characteristics that make Brando's portrayal even more remarkable. The rest of the cast, including James Caan and Robert Duvall, is exceptional, but it is Al Pacino as young Michael Corleone--Don Vito's "baby boy" who was not meant to enter the family business--who provides the most telling role in this film. Before our very eyes, we see Michael change from a man eager to remain at arms-length to the Corleone family ventures to a ruthless, cold-blooded Godfather himself--a transformation both astounding and eery.

THE GODFATHER is a feast of unforgettable cinematic moments: from an ambush at a toll booth to a bloody horse head wrapped in satin sheets. Puzo's story is told--told through filmmaking as good as it gets.
--D. Mikels

One of the best films I have ever seen with a lot of memorable scenes and classic lines. On top of that probably the best directing ever and a perfect cast.

Don Corleone, I honor you!

Memorable dialogue to the last word (Michael is it true? No!).

If you haven't seen this fantastic movie, let me tell you that you are missing what it's perhaps the best movie of all time. It's just perfect. You just can't miss when you put together the direction of Francis Ford Coppola at the top of his game, superb performances from great actors like Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, James Caan, Robert Duvall and John Cazale, beautiful music from the composer Nino Rota, and a memorable cinematography courtesy of Gordon Willis.

There are a lot of timeless scenes in this mob film ("I believe in America"), plenty of quoting lines ("I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse"), fabulous supporting characters (Luca Brasi), and the list can go on and on and on. In my opinion, this is the movie that beats all the rest of the films. I think that all movie fan collection must include "The Godfather". If you haven't seen it yet and you are looking for a fantastic film, go see a classic film, go see "The Godfather".

Absolutely recommendable.

I stumbled across this classic on cable TV a few evenings ago and that was it: I abandoned all other plans for the evening and watched the movie. Then I retrieved Mario Puzo's novel from my book collection and plowed through it, savoring and relishing this extraordinary piece of literature that had such an impact on our cultural landscape thirty-plus years ago.

Francis Ford Coppola's THE GODFATHER is a triumphant, magnificent screen portrayal of Puzo's epic book. The story of an Italian-American mob "family" entrenched in inherent and often desperate violence, Coppola weaves this film with compelling, moving, and haunting visuals that are as beautiful as they are disturbing. The scenes are at once simplistic and complex, yet such a dichotomy is not lost on the viewer, but embraced--appreciated for its overwhelming genius.

I've seen more than my fair share of Marlon Brando films, and in my opinion the character of Don Vito Corleone is this actor's signature role. Brando effectively portrays the Godfather's compassion, love and devotion to his family, and calm acumen to make "business" decisions that literally mean life or death to countless men. Don Vito is both a family man and a killer: two seemingly inconsistent characteristics that make Brando's portrayal even more remarkable. The rest of the cast, including James Caan and Robert Duvall, is exceptional, but it is Al Pacino as young Michael Corleone--Don Vito's "baby boy" who was not meant to enter the family business--who provides the most telling role in this film. Before our very eyes, we see Michael change from a man eager to remain at arms-length to the Corleone family ventures to a ruthless, cold-blooded Godfather himself--a transformation both astounding and eery.

THE GODFATHER is a feast of unforgettable cinematic moments: from an ambush at a toll booth to a bloody horse head wrapped in satin sheets. Puzo's story is told--told through filmmaking as good as it gets.
--D. Mikels

One of the best films I have ever seen with a lot of memorable scenes and classic lines. On top of that probably the best directing ever and a perfect cast.

Don Corleone, I honor you!

Memorable dialogue to the last word (Michael is it true? No!).

I would have given this movie 4 1/2 stars but not quite 5. It is a great sequel but pales in comparison to the first film. The continuation in the Michael Corleone saga is good but drags in places, especially towards the end. The Hyman Roth story is nowhere near as fascinating as the Solatzo/Barzini etc. from the first. The flashbacks to the young Vito Corleone was excellent but did not cover the depth that the book had (when does a movie ever equal the book?).

Great actors! Pacino and De Niro actually never meet in the film, however. Robert Duvall, Telia Shire, and Diane Keaton continue to shine. The actor that played Frido had a much bigger part than in the first film. Super directing (A lot of film instructors consider this film the ultimate in direction).

This is a must see movie to anyone that has seen the first film, but you definately need to have seen the first film to fully enjoy this one.

Although not quite as powerful or as unified as the original, THE GODFATHER II lays claim to possibly being the greatest sequel ever made. The film focuses on the twin stories of Michael Corleone's attempt to consolidate his power as Godfather of the Corleone family by, as he puts it, killing all his enemies. The latter primarily include a Jewish gangster who was a former associate of his father as a young man, a former associate who turns government witness, and his brother Fredo, who betrays Michael because he felt passed over and because in betraying Michael there would be "something in it for me." The other story told is that of the youth and young manhood of Vito Corleone, magnificently portrayed by Robert De Niro in one of his greatest performances, performing his role in Italian and doing a masterful job of mimicking Marlon Brando's intonations from the previous film. The story takes him from his earlier childhood, with the death of all the members of his family in Sicily, to his immigration to the United States, and eventual involvement in a life of organized crime.

Much of the power of the second film comes from the contrast between the two stories. As Vito Corleone grows in power, he also grows as a family man, in both the sense of a father with children and a wife and in the extended sense in his role as Godfather. He becomes the center of a community, drawing others around him. But the other story, of the decay of all that Vito had built up through the leadership of Michael, betrays all the realities undergirding the delusions riddling Vito Corleone's Family. The rot and decay that characterizes Michael's reign are shown as the natural and inescapable result of the greed that drove the lives of those in the crime organization. Nonetheless, the contrast between Vito, surrounded by friends and family and associates, and Michael, killing friends and associates and even family members, alienating even his most loyal friends, sitting inside his armed compound alone couldn't be starker. There is a reverse symmetry between the two stories: Vito starts off alone and ends surrounded by family and friends, while Michael starts off surrounded with family and friends, and ends up alone. This is symbolized perfectly in the final scene in the film, in a flashback to December 7, 1941, when Michael reveals to his brothers that he has enlisted in the Army. They hear their father arrive elsewhere in the house and rush off to meet him, only Michael sitting at the table alone as the film ends.

As with the first film, the acting is beyond reproach. As great as Al Pacino has been in his career, Michael Corleone has been his greatest achievement. He and Robert De Niro excel in the two key roles in the film. Lee Strasberg came out of retirement to play Hyman Roth, and he was extraordinarily effective in the role. The late, great John Cazale was marvelously timid as the dim, confused, and indecisive Fredo, who both adored and resented his brother Michael. Michael Gazzo is unforgettable as Frank Pentangeli, who thinks he has been betrayed by Michael and turns government witness, and received a well-deserved Oscar nomination for his performance (he was beaten out by Robert De Niro), as was Lee Strasberg. Robert Duvall returns as Tom Hagen, who is more loyal to Michael than anyone else but who Michael distrusts nonetheless. Bizarrely, Al Pacino lost out to Art Carney, who was excellent in the rather minor film HARRY AND TONTO. It is hard today to understand how Pacino failed to win.

Coppola transfixes his 35mm lens back onto the Corleone family & it's interests with a stark naturalisation. Alternating between young Vito Corleone in Little Italy N.Y~(played with essence by De Niro)~& young Michael Corleone(nicely underplayed by Pacino)& the search for betrayal through the provinces of Nevada,Florida,& Cuba in 1958. Lee Strasberg's presence is unforgettable as "Hyman Roth"-(an adaption of real life gangster boss "Meyer Lansky",who ran vast gambling operations in Cuba before Fidel Castro's takeover). Here is crime as board meetings,dinner gatherings,& lounge room discussions. Juggling both beauty & evil,it's 100% pure Coppola-Cosa-Nostra-ville.

In my view,DVD would suit the "Godfather trilogy" perfectly. Coppola's mafia-masterpiece deserves a digital preservation for the 21st Century. But if you have to go the VHS-route then go for the Widescreen Edition,because you'll be reaping quite an experience.

I would have given this movie 4 1/2 stars but not quite 5. It is a great sequel but pales in comparison to the first film. The continuation in the Michael Corleone saga is good but drags in places, especially towards the end. The Hyman Roth story is nowhere near as fascinating as the Solatzo/Barzini etc. from the first. The flashbacks to the young Vito Corleone was excellent but did not cover the depth that the book had (when does a movie ever equal the book?).

Great actors! Pacino and De Niro actually never meet in the film, however. Robert Duvall, Telia Shire, and Diane Keaton continue to shine. The actor that played Frido had a much bigger part than in the first film. Super directing (A lot of film instructors consider this film the ultimate in direction).

This is a must see movie to anyone that has seen the first film, but you definately need to have seen the first film to fully enjoy this one.

Although not quite as powerful or as unified as the original, THE GODFATHER II lays claim to possibly being the greatest sequel ever made. The film focuses on the twin stories of Michael Corleone's attempt to consolidate his power as Godfather of the Corleone family by, as he puts it, killing all his enemies. The latter primarily include a Jewish gangster who was a former associate of his father as a young man, a former associate who turns government witness, and his brother Fredo, who betrays Michael because he felt passed over and because in betraying Michael there would be "something in it for me." The other story told is that of the youth and young manhood of Vito Corleone, magnificently portrayed by Robert De Niro in one of his greatest performances, performing his role in Italian and doing a masterful job of mimicking Marlon Brando's intonations from the previous film. The story takes him from his earlier childhood, with the death of all the members of his family in Sicily, to his immigration to the United States, and eventual involvement in a life of organized crime.

Much of the power of the second film comes from the contrast between the two stories. As Vito Corleone grows in power, he also grows as a family man, in both the sense of a father with children and a wife and in the extended sense in his role as Godfather. He becomes the center of a community, drawing others around him. But the other story, of the decay of all that Vito had built up through the leadership of Michael, betrays all the realities undergirding the delusions riddling Vito Corleone's Family. The rot and decay that characterizes Michael's reign are shown as the natural and inescapable result of the greed that drove the lives of those in the crime organization. Nonetheless, the contrast between Vito, surrounded by friends and family and associates, and Michael, killing friends and associates and even family members, alienating even his most loyal friends, sitting inside his armed compound alone couldn't be starker. There is a reverse symmetry between the two stories: Vito starts off alone and ends surrounded by family and friends, while Michael starts off surrounded with family and friends, and ends up alone. This is symbolized perfectly in the final scene in the film, in a flashback to December 7, 1941, when Michael reveals to his brothers that he has enlisted in the Army. They hear their father arrive elsewhere in the house and rush off to meet him, only Michael sitting at the table alone as the film ends.

As with the first film, the acting is beyond reproach. As great as Al Pacino has been in his career, Michael Corleone has been his greatest achievement. He and Robert De Niro excel in the two key roles in the film. Lee Strasberg came out of retirement to play Hyman Roth, and he was extraordinarily effective in the role. The late, great John Cazale was marvelously timid as the dim, confused, and indecisive Fredo, who both adored and resented his brother Michael. Michael Gazzo is unforgettable as Frank Pentangeli, who thinks he has been betrayed by Michael and turns government witness, and received a well-deserved Oscar nomination for his performance (he was beaten out by Robert De Niro), as was Lee Strasberg. Robert Duvall returns as Tom Hagen, who is more loyal to Michael than anyone else but who Michael distrusts nonetheless. Bizarrely, Al Pacino lost out to Art Carney, who was excellent in the rather minor film HARRY AND TONTO. It is hard today to understand how Pacino failed to win.

Coppola transfixes his 35mm lens back onto the Corleone family & it's interests with a stark naturalisation. Alternating between young Vito Corleone in Little Italy N.Y~(played with essence by De Niro)~& young Michael Corleone(nicely underplayed by Pacino)& the search for betrayal through the provinces of Nevada,Florida,& Cuba in 1958. Lee Strasberg's presence is unforgettable as "Hyman Roth"-(an adaption of real life gangster boss "Meyer Lansky",who ran vast gambling operations in Cuba before Fidel Castro's takeover). Here is crime as board meetings,dinner gatherings,& lounge room discussions. Juggling both beauty & evil,it's 100% pure Coppola-Cosa-Nostra-ville.

In my view,DVD would suit the "Godfather trilogy" perfectly. Coppola's mafia-masterpiece deserves a digital preservation for the 21st Century. But if you have to go the VHS-route then go for the Widescreen Edition,because you'll be reaping quite an experience.

I would have given this movie 4 1/2 stars but not quite 5. It is a great sequel but pales in comparison to the first film. The continuation in the Michael Corleone saga is good but drags in places, especially towards the end. The Hyman Roth story is nowhere near as fascinating as the Solatzo/Barzini etc. from the first. The flashbacks to the young Vito Corleone was excellent but did not cover the depth that the book had (when does a movie ever equal the book?).

Great actors! Pacino and De Niro actually never meet in the film, however. Robert Duvall, Telia Shire, and Diane Keaton continue to shine. The actor that played Frido had a much bigger part than in the first film. Super directing (A lot of film instructors consider this film the ultimate in direction).

This is a must see movie to anyone that has seen the first film, but you definately need to have seen the first film to fully enjoy this one.

Although not quite as powerful or as unified as the original, THE GODFATHER II lays claim to possibly being the greatest sequel ever made. The film focuses on the twin stories of Michael Corleone's attempt to consolidate his power as Godfather of the Corleone family by, as he puts it, killing all his enemies. The latter primarily include a Jewish gangster who was a former associate of his father as a young man, a former associate who turns government witness, and his brother Fredo, who betrays Michael because he felt passed over and because in betraying Michael there would be "something in it for me." The other story told is that of the youth and young manhood of Vito Corleone, magnificently portrayed by Robert De Niro in one of his greatest performances, performing his role in Italian and doing a masterful job of mimicking Marlon Brando's intonations from the previous film. The story takes him from his earlier childhood, with the death of all the members of his family in Sicily, to his immigration to the United States, and eventual involvement in a life of organized crime.

Much of the power of the second film comes from the contrast between the two stories. As Vito Corleone grows in power, he also grows as a family man, in both the sense of a father with children and a wife and in the extended sense in his role as Godfather. He becomes the center of a community, drawing others around him. But the other story, of the decay of all that Vito had built up through the leadership of Michael, betrays all the realities undergirding the delusions riddling Vito Corleone's Family. The rot and decay that characterizes Michael's reign are shown as the natural and inescapable result of the greed that drove the lives of those in the crime organization. Nonetheless, the contrast between Vito, surrounded by friends and family and associates, and Michael, killing friends and associates and even family members, alienating even his most loyal friends, sitting inside his armed compound alone couldn't be starker. There is a reverse symmetry between the two stories: Vito starts off alone and ends surrounded by family and friends, while Michael starts off surrounded with family and friends, and ends up alone. This is symbolized perfectly in the final scene in the film, in a flashback to December 7, 1941, when Michael reveals to his brothers that he has enlisted in the Army. They hear their father arrive elsewhere in the house and rush off to meet him, only Michael sitting at the table alone as the film ends.

As with the first film, the acting is beyond reproach. As great as Al Pacino has been in his career, Michael Corleone has been his greatest achievement. He and Robert De Niro excel in the two key roles in the film. Lee Strasberg came out of retirement to play Hyman Roth, and he was extraordinarily effective in the role. The late, great John Cazale was marvelously timid as the dim, confused, and indecisive Fredo, who both adored and resented his brother Michael. Michael Gazzo is unforgettable as Frank Pentangeli, who thinks he has been betrayed by Michael and turns government witness, and received a well-deserved Oscar nomination for his performance (he was beaten out by Robert De Niro), as was Lee Strasberg. Robert Duvall returns as Tom Hagen, who is more loyal to Michael than anyone else but who Michael distrusts nonetheless. Bizarrely, Al Pacino lost out to Art Carney, who was excellent in the rather minor film HARRY AND TONTO. It is hard today to understand how Pacino failed to win.

Coppola transfixes his 35mm lens back onto the Corleone family & it's interests with a stark naturalisation. Alternating between young Vito Corleone in Little Italy N.Y~(played with essence by De Niro)~& young Michael Corleone(nicely underplayed by Pacino)& the search for betrayal through the provinces of Nevada,Florida,& Cuba in 1958. Lee Strasberg's presence is unforgettable as "Hyman Roth"-(an adaption of real life gangster boss "Meyer Lansky",who ran vast gambling operations in Cuba before Fidel Castro's takeover). Here is crime as board meetings,dinner gatherings,& lounge room discussions. Juggling both beauty & evil,it's 100% pure Coppola-Cosa-Nostra-ville.

In my view,DVD would suit the "Godfather trilogy" perfectly. Coppola's mafia-masterpiece deserves a digital preservation for the 21st Century. But if you have to go the VHS-route then go for the Widescreen Edition,because you'll be reaping quite an experience.

Dog Day Afternoon is another classic film of the 70's, that thanks to a strong cast, and the sure handed direction of Sidney Lumet, still holds up quite well. Even by today's standards of having eye candy over substance, can not deminish the film's intensity.

Sonny Vorshak (Al Pacino) and his friend Sal (John Cazale)are in need of some money. After exhausting all of their options, the two men decide to rob a New York City bank,in broad daylight, on a hot Summer afternoon. When the bandit's plan goes a bit haywire, they are forced to hold hostages, and engage in a standoff with the police. Detective Eugene Moretti (Charles Durning)is put in charge of the situation and must find a way to end the seige. The task is made more difficult as Sonny soon becomes something of a hero to the city.

Lumet captures the mood and tension of a city on edge, with the some fine filmmaking skill, and a gritty realism that marked many films made during 70's. Like his classic film, 12 Angry Men, Lumet makes good use out of limited sets and locations Once again Pacino proves why he is such a great actor. He is not just an actor playing a role, he Is Sonny Vorshak, no ifs ands or buts about it. The rest of the cast is tops as well. The fact that the movie is based on a real life incident is only icing on the cake

Dog Day Afternoon is a five star film that deserves to be a better DVD. I hope that a special edition version will find its way to a release date soon. For now, the current disc features only a few production notes,in the way of extras. The film can be viewed in either the widescreen or fullscreen formats

Recommended until the special edition DVD comes along

Al Pacino burns up the screen in Dog Day Afternoon which is based on a true story and confirms that fact that truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. Mr. Pacino plays Sonny who teams up with the dullard Sal (John Cazale) to rob a Brooklyn bank on a sweltering summer afternoon. Sonny was a one-time bank employee, so he knows all the tricks of the trade to thwart bank robbers. Unfortunately for the robbers, the bank virtual has no money do to having made a deposit only hours before the robbery attempt. A shopworker across the street from the bank notices the strange proceedings and calls the cops. Before you know it, the bank is completely surrounded by cops. The cops (led by Charles Durning & James Broderick) start a hostage negotiation with Sonny. Even though Sonny's a crook, he isn't all bad and he, Sal and the hostage bank workers form a strange kinship. The story is shown on TV and a crowd gathers in the streets as well and Sonny becomes something of a cult hero. His scenes on the street outside the bank are scintillating including his famous Attica chant. Sonny is married with kids, but it turns out that he was robbing a bank to pay for a sex change operation for his gay lover, Leon (Chris Sarandon). The movie closes out at night at the airport in dramatic fashion. Sidney Lumet does a fine job translating the heat and humidity of the day and you can feel yourself sweating along with the characters. Mr. Pacino has been more heralded for his Godfather roles, Scarface, Serpico and Scent Of A woman, but in my book, he was never finer than he was in this movie.

This movie rocks! You should definitely buy it!

Dog Day Afternoon is another classic film of the 70's, that thanks to a strong cast, and the sure handed direction of Sidney Lumet, still holds up quite well. Even by today's standards of having eye candy over substance, can not deminish the film's intensity.

Sonny Vorshak (Al Pacino) and his friend Sal (John Cazale)are in need of some money. After exhausting all of their options, the two men decide to rob a New York City bank,in broad daylight, on a hot Summer afternoon. When the bandit's plan goes a bit haywire, they are forced to hold hostages, and engage in a standoff with the police. Detective Eugene Moretti (Charles Durning)is put in charge of the situation and must find a way to end the seige. The task is made more difficult as Sonny soon becomes something of a hero to the city.

Lumet captures the mood and tension of a city on edge, with the some fine filmmaking skill, and a gritty realism that marked many films made during 70's. Like his classic film, 12 Angry Men, Lumet makes good use out of limited sets and locations Once again Pacino proves why he is such a great actor. He is not just an actor playing a role, he Is Sonny Vorshak, no ifs ands or buts about it. The rest of the cast is tops as well. The fact that the movie is based on a real life incident is only icing on the cake

Dog Day Afternoon is a five star film that deserves to be a better DVD. I hope that a special edition version will find its way to a release date soon. For now, the current disc features only a few production notes,in the way of extras. The film can be viewed in either the widescreen or fullscreen formats

Recommended until the special edition DVD comes along

Al Pacino burns up the screen in Dog Day Afternoon which is based on a true story and confirms that fact that truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. Mr. Pacino plays Sonny who teams up with the dullard Sal (John Cazale) to rob a Brooklyn bank on a sweltering summer afternoon. Sonny was a one-time bank employee, so he knows all the tricks of the trade to thwart bank robbers. Unfortunately for the robbers, the bank virtual has no money do to having made a deposit only hours before the robbery attempt. A shopworker across the street from the bank notices the strange proceedings and calls the cops. Before you know it, the bank is completely surrounded by cops. The cops (led by Charles Durning & James Broderick) start a hostage negotiation with Sonny. Even though Sonny's a crook, he isn't all bad and he, Sal and the hostage bank workers form a strange kinship. The story is shown on TV and a crowd gathers in the streets as well and Sonny becomes something of a cult hero. His scenes on the street outside the bank are scintillating including his famous Attica chant. Sonny is married with kids, but it turns out that he was robbing a bank to pay for a sex change operation for his gay lover, Leon (Chris Sarandon). The movie closes out at night at the airport in dramatic fashion. Sidney Lumet does a fine job translating the heat and humidity of the day and you can feel yourself sweating along with the characters. Mr. Pacino has been more heralded for his Godfather roles, Scarface, Serpico and Scent Of A woman, but in my book, he was never finer than he was in this movie.

This movie rocks! You should definitely buy it!

Dog Day Afternoon is another classic film of the 70's, that thanks to a strong cast, and the sure handed direction of Sidney Lumet, still holds up quite well. Even by today's standards of having eye candy over substance, can not deminish the film's intensity.

Sonny Vorshak (Al Pacino) and his friend Sal (John Cazale)are in need of some money. After exhausting all of their options, the two men decide to rob a New York City bank,in broad daylight, on a hot Summer afternoon. When the bandit's plan goes a bit haywire, they are forced to hold hostages, and engage in a standoff with the police. Detective Eugene Moretti (Charles Durning)is put in charge of the situation and must find a way to end the seige. The task is made more difficult as Sonny soon becomes something of a hero to the city.

Lumet captures the mood and tension of a city on edge, with the some fine filmmaking skill, and a gritty realism that marked many films made during 70's. Like his classic film, 12 Angry Men, Lumet makes good use out of limited sets and locations Once again Pacino proves why he is such a great actor. He is not just an actor playing a role, he Is Sonny Vorshak, no ifs ands or buts about it. The rest of the cast is tops as well. The fact that the movie is based on a real life incident is only icing on the cake

Dog Day Afternoon is a five star film that deserves to be a better DVD. I hope that a special edition version will find its way to a release date soon. For now, the current disc features only a few production notes,in the way of extras. The film can be viewed in either the widescreen or fullscreen formats

Recommended until the special edition DVD comes along

Al Pacino burns up the screen in Dog Day Afternoon which is based on a true story and confirms that fact that truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. Mr. Pacino plays Sonny who teams up with the dullard Sal (John Cazale) to rob a Brooklyn bank on a sweltering summer afternoon. Sonny was a one-time bank employee, so he knows all the tricks of the trade to thwart bank robbers. Unfortunately for the robbers, the bank virtual has no money do to having made a deposit only hours before the robbery attempt. A shopworker across the street from the bank notices the strange proceedings and calls the cops. Before you know it, the bank is completely surrounded by cops. The cops (led by Charles Durning & James Broderick) start a hostage negotiation with Sonny. Even though Sonny's a crook, he isn't all bad and he, Sal and the hostage bank workers form a strange kinship. The story is shown on TV and a crowd gathers in the streets as well and Sonny becomes something of a cult hero. His scenes on the street outside the bank are scintillating including his famous Attica chant. Sonny is married with kids, but it turns out that he was robbing a bank to pay for a sex change operation for his gay lover, Leon (Chris Sarandon). The movie closes out at night at the airport in dramatic fashion. Sidney Lumet does a fine job translating the heat and humidity of the day and you can feel yourself sweating along with the characters. Mr. Pacino has been more heralded for his Godfather roles, Scarface, Serpico and Scent Of A woman, but in my book, he was never finer than he was in this movie.

This movie rocks! You should definitely buy it!

The 70s were the heyday of conspiracy paranoia in popular entertainment: 1974 The Conversation, 1975 The Three Days Of The Condor, 1975 The Parallax View, 1976 All The President's Men ...

The worldview advanced in those films, was that a Cold War mindset had infected American domestic life ... powerful, mysterious forces were foisting a secret spy game on the unsuspecting public. Those jaded messages resonated with Americans, who had lost their innocence to political assassinations, Vietnam, and Watergate.

The Conversation is perfectly representative of those times. Gene Hackman is ideally cast as a lonely electronic surveillance professional, whose carefully detached world cracks apart when a routine assignment goes wrong and drives him over the moral edge.

Deprived of a human support system, Hackman's intelligence turns on itself and leads him into a series of dangerous mistakes. In the end Hackman finds himself no longer the safe detached observer, but instead, a vulnerable pawn in a cruel conspiracy plot.

The film's direction is masterful in the hands of Francis Ford Coppola at his restrained best. The style is European noirish: spare, cerebral, brooding, enhanced by masterful photography and intellectual jazz music. Though the film is shot in color, you may find that you remember it in black and white.

Viewers beware: The Conversation is not for action lovers, it moves slowly and requires a love of introspection.

Realy one of Coppola's best works.Starring Gene Hackman as

the surveillance expert Harry Caul.Harry is a very complex

character,because of his lonley weird life.I think this is

the greatest performance by Hackman.

The supporting cast is well chosen [Including The late John

Cazale,Allen Garfield,Cindy Williams,Harrsion ford and a small

role played by Robert Duvall].

Written,produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola who

was inspired by the British movie Blow Up [1966].

Also the music score by David Shire is wonderfull.The

Conversation is one of the greatest movies ever made and lies

beside great movies like [The godfather and Once upon a time

in America].

I echo other comments that this is perhaps Coppola's best film in its characterization, simmering plot development, and pace, all carefully crafted to offer a unique vision of the world of the professional eavesdropper.

Made during the paranoia surrounding Watergate, "The Conversation" manages to resonate more today. I'm not talking Patriot Act or the War on Terrorism. I'm talking about the Internet. Harry Caul hides behind technology, uses it to connect with people, yet cannot connect with real-live human beings. His one "friend" -- the colleague played by the late John Cazale -- he even fails to relate to, unless it's strictly about the work.

In the end, Harry's isolation becomes complete when the technology he uses becomes his jailer. The final panning shot of this film is worth the entire DVD alone, but the commentary tracks provide priceless insight into the mind of Coppola at the time when he was still an outsider himself.