269 of 1001 Movies: Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

I was trying to place where else I had seen Sidney Lumet's name as director, and then it hit me, he directed 12 Angry Men, which was his directorial debut. He would continue on with his movies that not only took a look at the wrong side of crime, but also gave us characters and twist that we couldn't help but be compelled by. This story though is based on the real life robbery that took place in the 70's, and it has to be one of the most bizarre and interesting piece of true events to see in a movie.

Summary: Sonny and Sal are out to rob a bank, but as soon as they get there it's obvious things aren't going to go right as soon as one of their accomplices bail on them in the middle of the robbery. Now Sonny and Sal are left to do it on their own, but when they draw attention to themselves the hype quickly grows from something they planned to be over in ten minutes to lasting twelve hours. With the police surrounding the place and the media airing it everywhere Sonny and Sal believe their only way to freedom are their hostages.