Dog Day Afternoon: The Most Unlucky Bank Robber Ever

Written By Luke Barnes

Dog Day Afternoon is a crime film directed by Sidney Lumet. The plot follows a failed bank robbery carried out by Sunny Wortzik (Al Pacino), and the following hostage crisis. The film is based on the real-life experiences of John Wojtowicz.

This film is regarded by many as a classic, and in some ways I can see that.

I think the performance from Pacino is sublime, he makes what could have easily just been a tired bank robber bad guy role, or generic antihero, feel layered and human. Pacino’s Sunny is not just likeable, he morphs into more than that almost becoming a Robin Hood figure. When the tale reaches its inevitable end, you feel sad as you wanted him to succeed, and both of those emotions are a result of Pacino’s near perfect performance.

Moreover, this film does a lot for transgender representation, decades ahead of the curve. Though some might not like it when I bring up social political ideas in my reviews of old films, I will anyway. I think the trans representation here deserves praise, as it treats the character with dignity and agency, rather than turning them into a cliché or a punchline.

My issue with this film though that stops it from getting full marks is that the film does have some noticeable pacing issues. There are sections inside the bank that drag on, and it is a shame as these scenes for the most part provide terrific character work, but there are moments when you are left wishing something would happen, or that the film would cut back to what is going on outside.

Moreover, before I made a comparison to Robin Hood with this film and I don’t view that entirely as a positive. The idea of Robin Hood works, but as the narrative follows this approach it becomes overly simplistic to a degree, the misguided but doing it for the right reasons bank robber and the evil police feel a little on the nose, and obvious and the film could have benefited from focusing more on the grey neutral ground, within and also binding the two characters.

Overall, a reverting heist film with a surprisingly good about of representation.

Pros

Pacino

The characters are all handled well and with care

The transgender romance and the larger representation

The ending

Cons.

A few pacing issues

Occasionally too simplistic in its writing

4/5

Football Factory: Hooligans In The UK

Football Factory is a British sports drama film directed by Nick Love. The plot examines the rise in football hooliganism, examining the lives of those who live to fight. We follow Tommy Johnson (Danny Dyer), one such hooligan as he gets caught up in a feud between two sects of fans and is forced to revaluate his life.

I don’t know if I have mentioned this in my reviews before, but I am a huge Danny Dyer fan and have been for a while: Dog House, The Business, Severance, Human Traffic all classic Dyer fare, and this fits in amongst that pantheon, though it doesn’t have as much charm as some of the others and is definitely rougher around the edges.

It is kind of crazy how badly this film wants to be Trainspotting, there are multiple moments in this film that feel almost shot for shot the same, with slight tweaks to avoid being called out. The difference of course is one is a British classic and the other is a blatant rip-off; I’ll let you figure out which is which.

Danny Dyer has his usual laddish charm and is okay here, though this does feel very safe for him. I would dare say that Dyer is upstaged by Neil Maskell, who plays his on-screen best friend and who also has some of the best scenes in the film, managing to inject a bit more soul into the film than Dyer seems capable off.

There are several moments in this film that are clearly supposed to be funny or sad, but in both cases the film struggles to achieve either. The first death doesn’t feel hugely impactful as we don’t really know the character, and the final death doesn’t bare weight as the film has done little to make us care about the character. The humour is far weaker, and the film tries less hard at this aim; those who the film is based on might find it funny, but anyone outside of that small group would probably be hard pushed to find a laugh here.

Overall, it is passable Dyer content, no The Business, in fact don’t watch this film at and just check out The Business it is a much better.

Pros.

Dyer and his roughish ways

Neil Maskell is trying

Cons.

The characters aren’t likeable and that limits the films emotional impact

The humour doesn’t work

It drags in parts

2/5

Reviewed by Luke

Son Of The South: Anyone Can Be A Hero

Son Of The South is a biographical drama film directed by Barry Alexander Brown. The plot retells the early life of civil rights activists Bob Zellner (here played by Lucas Till), showing his early struggles and triumphs.

There have been many films where Till has been good, but he never stood out enough with a film to deserve awards and to break through into wider Hollywood, this however is that film. Till deserves awards for this one, this is his breakout film or should be at least.

This film was near perfect in every way, there was only one slight issues with it, can you guess what it is? Anyone who has been following my reviews for a while know damn well how I feel about Lucy Hale, (she can’t act and ruins any film that features her prominently, with Fantasy Island being the one film that made me question that statement), and the same could have been true here: thankfully after the first half an hour this film ditches here. Her half an hour performance isn’t good, but that almost goes without saying.

This film is important as it shows that no matter where you come from in life, you can help to better the world. Zellner’s own grandfather was in the Klan and threatened to kill him for helping the civil rights struggle, but despite his family Zellner went on to help change history. We truly can all be heroes.

There were a number of powerful scenes here, including the lynching scene and the riot at the bus station, that hit hard and leave an impact; this was not long ago in our history and have we come all that much further since? Really? So a mixture of despair for the monster that is the human race, but also a hope that the good can beat the bad in our world to a point where words like the Klan and White Supremacy lose their meaning and can be forgotten about permanently.

Overall, I can’t recommend this film enough, please watch it.

Pros

Lucas Till

The powerful message

The emotional impact

It leaves you thinking after watching

Cons.

Lucy Hale

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Flight Attendant: Life After The Big Bang

The Flight Attendant is a comedy drama series based on the book of the same name by Chris Bohjalian. The series revolves around Cassie (Kaley Cuoco), a dysfunctional alcoholic flight attendant, who get caught up in a murder after her one-night stand ends up dead, Cassie ends up at the top of list of police suspects and she must set out to find who really killed this person and clear her name.

So when I put this series on I was not expecting much, I thought it would just be like every other crime thriller tv series- generic. However, I was surprised to find out how much I enjoyed this show to a point where I was actively looking forward to the next episode and thinking about it when I wasn’t watching it.

This is Cuoco’s first big series after The Big Bang Theory yes she is in Harley Quinn, but that is a preestablished franchise and IP and also animated so less on her performance, as such all eyes were on her here. I have to say I was not always convinced by her acting in the BBT, but she really knocked it out of the park here, she fully sold the mania and the downward mental decline her character was going through allowing for me to completely see her as the character with any ideas of Penny disappearing.

The ultimate mystery of the series is handled well, it is not who you originally think it is, and the series goes in a few ways that surprise you. I also enjoyed how, whilst trying to solve the central narrative mystery the series also sets up lots of smaller little mysteries that will pay off when the show comes back for season two.

The wider supporting cast were also excellent Michiel Huisman, Zosia Mamet and Rosie Perez all have strong sense and interesting arcs.

Overall, one of the best series of last year defiantly not one to sleep on, make it your next binge.

Pros.

You can’t stop watching it

It is compelling

Cuoco

Huisman

The mystery and those yet to be revealed

Cons.

None

5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Seberg: Leading To Tragedy

Seberg is a political thriller film directed by Benedict Andrews. The plot serves to tell the real-life story of Jean Seberg (Kristen Stewart), an actor who got a bit too close to black civil rights movements and so became the target of vicious harassment from American law enforcement, which lead to tragedy.

Kristen Stewart is one of those actors who can either be really good or really bad and struggles to find a middle ground, however here she is dazzling. Her portrayal of Seberg is both empowering and heart breaking, Stewart manages to capture her so perfectly that it gives me hope for her upcoming Princess Diana film.

Stewart and Anthony Mackie (who plays Civil Right leader Hakim Jamal), have such amazing chemistry that you can’t look away for a second they are on screen together.

Vince Vaughn is also in this film as sadistic FBI agent Carl Kowalski, and once again he shines in the dramatic role proving her far more than just a funny man; if you are not already aware of the Vince Vaughn renaissance going on, you are now.

The message of this film is poignant and as timely now as it was then.

Overall a tragically beautiful film and one of Stewart’s best.

Pros.

Stewart

Mackie

Vaughn

The message

The heart-breaking ending and its emotional weight

Cons.

None

5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Adulthood: Older And Wiser?

Adulthood is a crime film directed by Noel Clarke (who also stars). The plot continues on from the events of Kidulthood, we see Sam (Clarke), be released from prison after the murder he committed at the end of the previous film. During his time inside Sam, has become an entirely different person who just wants to live a quiet life and get away from the things he has done. This is made harder by the friends and family of the boy he killed putting a hit out on him.

I think this film really achieved the deterring nature that the series was going for, we can see how Sam is haunted by what he did and how everyday he lives with the consequences, wishing he could go back and change it. The Sam we meet here is far more reformed and wiser, he knows that the life he was living before is going nowhere hence why he wants to move on with his life.

This this time around Sam is our protagonist, and though he might not be a likeable lead as he is still a child killer/ teen killer after all, the emotional nuance of the film allows us the see the situation in a less black and white way making the characters reform seem more believable and allowing us the audience to root for him more.

The tension and the gritty, harsh action compliment the film beautifully and really help to make its message standout. There are a number of scenes where you are on edge waiting to see how a scene will play out. This film is definitely more action orientated then the last which was more drama focused, this does change the viewing experience somewhat, but the films still feel stylistically the same.

Overall, in many ways this may be the best film in the trilogy as it manages to show us this bleak world in a widder scale and harsher intensity then the first film, making us better understand the struggle.

Pros.

Clarke, both as a director and actor

The emotional beats and the character arcs

Really managing to push the deterrent angle

The ending

The tension and the action

Cons.

It can be very hard to watch at times

5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Kidulthood: Boys To Men

Kidulthood is a British crime drama film directed by Menhaj Huda. The plot focus on the lives of a group of high school students in Ladbroke Grove, London who lives seem to be shaped around crime, violence and chronic drug use.

There is something of a morbid charm to these films, yes on the surface they are horribly bleak and if you are easily upset or offended by films you probably shouldn’t watch this, however despite being disgusted by what you see on screen you also can’t look away. This is true to such an extent that when I finished the first film, I immediately put on the next one (review coming soon).

This film does not sugar coat its views on life and youth behaviour, it shows it all and doesn’t apologies if we don’t like what we see; it makes Boyle’s Trainspotting look at happy by comparison. The creatives went out of their way to show us a version of lived reality closer to our own then what we normally see in these sort of crime films, to show us how bad, desperate and sad this sort of life style is, and I think they resoundingly succeeded.

The performances in the film are all serviceable, with one exception, they are neither good nor bad, not memorable in any real way. The one exception of course is Noel Clarke as Sam, Clarke was heavily involved in the series and would go on to direct the later instalments, but it is his scene stealing performance that cements him as a star. Clarke conveys emotion with such intensity that you forget that you are even watching a film and you believe this character to be a real person.

Overall, despite this being an incredibly hard watch for a number of reasons, if you do watch it there is something of merit here.

Pros.

Clarke

The message of the film

Showing us a closer reality then that which we would normally see

A morbid fascination that is hard to describe

Cons.
It is very, very, very bleak and upsetting at times

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Breaking News In Yuba County: Anyone Can Make It Onto The News These Days

Breaking News In Yuba County is a comedy drama film directed by Tate Taylor. We follow Sue (Alison Janney), as she discovers her husband’s infidelity: which leads to his death through a heart attack. How does Sue deal with this? She buries him privately and tells everyone else he has gone missing so she can get media attention.

This was bad, just plain bad.

Firstly, it was in no way funny. Not only did I not laugh once, but the film failed to even make me smile, I did not have fun watching it and quite frankly it was a slog to get through. The characters are all such awful people, and the film does nothing to make you care about any of them, so you just feel indifferent to them regardless of what happens.

The film tries to distract you by having a number of famous faces in supporting roles, but this quickly wears out and instead serves to remind you, who is hard up and in need of a quick pay day role; most likely agreeing to star in anything as long as it pays off the credit card.

The central crime, the cover up of the husband’s heart attack, is so idiotic. It makes no sense as to why she would do it, we are lead to believe that Sue is just a regular person, not someone who can just flip a switch and become a criminal at the drop of a hat, but hey she does it constantly. The fact that the crime does not immediately get figured out is an insult to everyone’s intelligence, and in real life those investigating it would be fired for incompetence.

Overall, a very bad poorly thought-out comedy film that will be showing up in worst of 2021 lists soon enough.

Pros.

It is not offensive

Cons.

It is lame

It is not funny

The characters are not likeable

It feels done for the money

0.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Malcolm and Marie: Overly Indulgent In The Worst Way

Malcolm and Marie is a drama film directed Sam Levinson. The plot follows Malcom (John David Washington), and Marie (Zendaya), as there relationship is tested over the course of one particularly bad night.

I think there are good elements to this film, and I will get to them in time, but there are also a lot of issues, it is by no means perfect as it is deeply flawed in a number of ways. Firstly, it is very, very smug and up its own arse as an art film, and that is clear and is quite off-putting. Secondly, this film is made for people who know a fair bit about film in general, there are five to ten-minute scenes where Malcolm rants on and on about certain things to do with the industry and if you don’t have a keen amount of know how in that regard you will be lost.

The issue with these sort of films, and it is the same fate that befell, Pieces Of A Woman is that when films centre around these intimate struggles, the delivery has to be spot on and feel reflective of reality. Now I am not knocking either of the performances, as I thought they were the only good part of the film, however, neither of these characters behave in a natural way (going on long winded rants about the finer points of film criticism, while your partner stairs blankly at the celling), and it reads as overacted and also like a film writer’s fantasy version of reality. Nothing against the performances, everything against the highschool play esque script.

Zendaya and John David Washington make the most out of what they have and try and give it some personality and life- dying nobly on that hill. It is a shame as they are both talented.

Overall, nearly all the art house cliches rolled into one. Poor, but well-acted.

Pros.

Washington

Zendaya

Cons.

It is smug

It feels overacted and fake

It seems like the writer has never had a real human conversation before

It is not as deep as it thinks it is

1/5

Reviewed by Luke

Judas And The Black Messiah: Power To The People

Judas and the Black Messiah is a historical drama film directed by Shaka King. The plot follows the real life rise and assassination of prominent Black Panther Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya), and his betrayal at the hands of FBI informant Bill O’ Neil (Lakeith Stanfield).

I have been looking forward to watching this film for a long time, and it did not disappoint.

I think this is an important film that needs to be seen and understood, moreover it should be a stepping stone to a larger conversation around race and struggle, not just in The States but worldwide. It’s message is furthered by events that have happened in the recent past, showing that police violence and institutional racism is still a festering part of our society that needs to be dealt with.

Both leading men give terrific performances, as I knew they would, however, I think this is Kaluuya’s film; what’s more I think this film should net Kaluuya some Oscar gold. His performance of Hampton is so effective and impactful, it reaches you on a deep emotional level and opens your eyes to the evils of the world, we see through Kaluuya that Hampton truly wanted to better the position of the oppressed in society and wanted to be a force for positive change, and what did he get for that? They shot him while he slept.

Pacing wise this is a model for other films. Usually I knock off points for pacing issues or drag, but I have to say that every second of this film felt needed and important and for that I tip my hat.

Overall, this is not an easy watch it is infuriating and depressing, but at the end of day that’s reflective of life. Moreover, the film highlights the need for further change within our worldwide community and inspires the viewer to go out there and make that happen.

Pros.

It opens your eyes

Kaluuya

Stanfield

The ending

It makes you mad and then channels your energy into a force for good
Cons.

None
5/5

Reviewed by Luke