3. Dog Day Afternoon
This is the second entry on my list where the whole film pretty much takes place in a bank. The robbery, fronted by Al Pacino, is a far cry from the slick routine pulled off by Clive Owen and his crew in Inside Man, but that is precisely why it is higher up. Its captivatingly realistic and it should be as it is based on true events. Pacinos character Sonny and his partner, Sal are looking to knock over a bank at closing time and the plan is to get in and out in half an hour. But things start out bad and keep getting worse. Their third accomplice bottles it and does a runner, there is only just more than $1,000 in the vault to steal, the security guard is asthmatic and the fire started by Pacino to burn the ledgers alerts passers-by and then the police. The whole thing turns into a media circus which lasts for hours as the cops try to negotiate with a fraying Pacino. I watched this film thinking, if that was me and my friend robbing a bank, that is probably exactly how I would act Pacino gradually loses it as he realises he has no way out other than to trust the police will honour his demands which they do not. This film, punctuated by an incredible lead performance is great because of its humanity. According to IMDB most of the script became ad-libbed as filming took place and it shows, the whole thing feels real and true to life. We come to know every hostage as their own person. They eventually wind up liking their captors with one lady even choosing to go back in when she has the chance to escape. The real life bank manager caught up in the event this film is based on actually went on to say he had some of the biggest laughs that afternoon than he ever had before. It is with this sort of subject matter that great films can grow from and Dog Day Afternoon does just that. It is constantly enthralling for two hours. Funny to think it is nearly 40 years old.