Al Pacino: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

2. Sonny Wortzik - Dog Day Afternoon

What a film and what a performance. To be honest, this film is packed with great work from all involved and yet Pacino still manages to stand out as Sonny Wortzik. Pacino was in a period of his career almost unparalleled by any actor before or since. Everything he touched turned to gold and only Robert De Niro could come close. Based on real events, the film tells of Sonny and his best friend Sal (the towering John Cazale €“ an actor who could have ruled Hollywood were it not for his premature death) as they rob a bank. This is no mere robbery though as Sonny is trying to fund a sex-change operation for his wife Leon (Chris Sarandon €“ again, brilliant). What starts out as a small news story grows as the press lay siege and Sonny leads the baying crowd in a chant of 'Attica! Attica!'. Finally, as the FBI lead proceedings, they are taken to the airport to escape before Sal is shot and Sonny finally arrested. The relationship between Pacino and Cazale is the real heart of this film and plays on a parallel to their work in the first two Godfather films. Yet again, Pacino plays a character so different from the ones that made him famous, almost turning in a comedy role before the depth of realisation hits the audience of Sonny's sadness and desperation. The docu-drama feel is heightened not only through the performances but by the lack of a soundtrack making the tension, as it cranks up, an element driven by the ensemble cast. A brilliant, brilliant film.