Why Dog Day Afternoon is indelible, unforgettable and hugely influential

In 1972, John Wojtowicz and two associates attempted to hold up a Brooklyn branch of the Chase Manhattan bank.

One of the trio fled before the men even got inside, but Wojtowicz and Salvatore Naturile went ahead, only to find they had arrived late and that the day’s cash had already been collected.

The bank was surrounded by police – and a 14-hour siege began.

The tale of Wojtowicz and Naturile became a story in Life magazine, which attracted the attention of scriptwriter Frank Pierson, who adapted it into the film we know today as Dog Day Afternoon.

Director Sidney Lumet contacted Al Pacino – the two men had collaborated on Serpico the year before – and together they set about getting the film made. Pacino cast his friend John Cazale to play Naturile – and Lumet found locations mostly within Brooklyn.

Filming was wrapped three weeks ahead of schedule and Dog Day Afternoon was released to universal acclaim. It was nominated for several Academy Awards, winning for Best Original Screenplay in the same year that One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest and Jaws were that year’s big winners.

Seen today, Dog Day Afternoon is an indelible, unforgettable and hugely influential film. The leanness and economy of Pierson’s script and Lumet’s direction leave acres of space for Pacino, Cazale and the ensemble to do their work.

Every performance in this film is a thing of beauty, with the actors inhabiting every pore of their characters. Even Cazale’s famous ‘‘Wyoming’’ line was an improvisation. Pacino had been expecting only silence when he asked Cazale which country he wanted to visit after the robbery. Pacino, somehow, stayed in character.

Pacino and Lumet would have decades-long careers. Pacino is still working today, while Lumet died in 2012, having directed more than 40 features.

But Cazale died in 1978, having just completed The Deer Hunter. He only ever appeared in five films, over a seven-year career. Every one of those films was nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award. There will never be another one like him, as the excellent 40-minute documentary I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale (available to stream on SkyGo) demonstrates.

Dog Day Afternoon is now available to rent from AroVision, Academy OnDemand, iTunes, GooglePlay and YouTube.