2. Sonny Wortzik (Dog Day Afternoon)
Warner Bros.You would be right in thinking that a homosexual man forced into robbing a bank for the sake of his lover who needed the money for an expensive sex-change operation was unlikely to be an effective criminal. First-time crook Sonny Wortzik (played masterfully by Al Pacino) never once displays any traits in Dog Day Afternoon that would have you believe he was cut out for a life of crime. Indeed, as soon as the robbery of the fictitious First Brooklyn Savings Bank is initiated, the heist immediately goes awry when one of Sonnys hand-picked men Stevie flees at the sight of a gun. A well chosen crew indeed, Sonny! Al Pacino sweats profusely throughout the movie conveying how uncomfortable Sonny is with masquerading as a legitimate bank robber. As the film progresses it is obvious that Sonny is far too amiable to be a competent villain. He is mostly cooperative with the police and never once seems likely to actually harm any of the hostages he is forced to take after the NYPD surround the building. Indeed, one of the few demands he makes of the police is that they have pizza delivered to the bank so that the hostages dont go hungry. Such a kind-spirited man was always going to be an inept criminal.