Dog Day Afternoon (1975) is an oddly progressive film for it's time

Considering it's Pride Month, I want to talk about Dog Day Afternoon, which is an oddly progressive film for it's time, and in my opinion is one of the greatest heist films of all time. If you havent seen Dog Day Afternoon, it follows Sonny (Al Pacino), and Sal as the two try to steal money from a Brooklyn bank. However the heist immediatley goes wrong and the bank is surronded. The bulk of the film revolves around Sonny, Sal, and their hostages as the robbers try to nagotiate with the police and deal with the heat of the hot summer day. It also explores the relationships between the robbers and their hostages, as a sort of Stockholm syndrome takes over.​Now why is this film oddly progressive? Well over the course of the film we learn that Sonny has been struggling lately, and his relationship with his family has been oddly strained. This all comes to a head when the police go to get Sonny's "wife" but instead turn up with Leon, a gay man. We learn that Sonny secretly cheated on his actual wife and married Leon, and the whole reason for the bank robbery is so Leon can get a sex change operation. For 1975 this is an incredibly bold motive, especially consider Pacino was starring and this was in the middle of The Godfather movies. On top of everything the film is based on events that actually took place only a few years prior.​And the relationship isn't played for laughs like many were during this time (a few cops snicker at Leon), but rather the two have a very intimate connection. I'd highly suggest the film, you won't be dissapointed. via /r/movies http://bit.ly/2X2ihT6