So once you get past the aboslutly false statements that this is a comedy, you start to see the magic of this film. It is a very static movie, and the everything takes place in or around the bank throughout the entire movie until the very end. The story isn't driven through action sequences, rather it is driven by the brilliant dialoge between characters.

When watching this movie, you will feel like you are right there, inside this movie. You will progress right along with the main character, Sonny. You watch his attitude change from being very optimistic and hopeful, into a more frustrated, disjointed, and confused character. Al Pacino does a brilliant job showing the many changes that Sonny goes through. You can literally see the preasure on Sonny's face as time is running out, and as his plans keep getting more and more screwed up.

Not only does Al Pacino do a brilliant job, but the other characters are amazingly protrayed as well. Other notable performances are Leon (Sonny's disconnected boyfriend), Sal (Sonn'y partner), and even Detective Moretti. Every character is so believable and real that you will truly feel like you have met them all first hand.

One thing that I have noticed about Dog Day Afternoon is its influences on more modern movies. As I was watching it, I couldn't help but recognize modern movies in it. Two examples that came to mind the most are Mad City, and Airheads. In Mad City, John Travoltra's character is also faced with a media circus as he holds a group of school kids and their teacher hostage in a meauseam. The frenzy of media coverage, the public reaction, and the way that the main character becomes friendly with the hostages all give a very big nod to Dog Day Afternoon. In Airheads, I noticed that the way one of the guys who had taken the radio station hostage would come outside to talk to the cops, and while he was out there, he would incite the crowd and start different chants. In Airheads, one of the hostage takers started the crowd in a "Rodney King" chant, while in Dog Day Afternoon, Al Pacino started the crowed in an "Attica" chant. These sequences are so familiar that I am convinced the screen writers had Dog Day Afternoon in mind when writing them.

Overall, this is a fantastic movie that is full of brilliant performances. But for some, it may seem way to static, and slow moving.

As far as DVD features go, the picture quality is superb, considering that the original film is from the mid 70's. The audio is Dolby Mono tracked, but nothing else is neccesary. There are no sound effects to speak of - it is all pretty much dialogue - so the mono track is sufficient. As far as extras, if you consider Scene Selections and Interactive Menus to be "extras", then you will be happy, but I would say that this DVD is as bare as they get. I can't stand when DVD Case designers try and pass off these standard 'features' as extras. That is like a CD advertising its ability to change tracks with the touch of a button.

Great movie - decent DVD transfer.