A portrait of the the late John Wojtowicz, the inspiration behind Al Pacino’s character in Sidney Lumet’s Oscar®-Nominated Dog Day Afternoon. If you’ve ever seen the movie, the reason for the ’72 Brooklyn bank robbery was to finance his lover’s sex reassignment operation. The attempted heist resulted in a fourteen-hour hostage situation that was broadcast on TV. The award-winning film had a HUGE influence on Wojtowicz, and when he emerged from prison six years later, he became known as “The Dog.” Filmed over the course ten years, by co-directors Allison Berg and Frank Keraudren, and intertwining archival footage on the robbery, 70s era interviews and the early gay lib movement in which “The Dog” played an active role, this doc captures the many sides of John Wojtowicz’s obnoxious personality. He’s a lover, a husband, a soldier, an activist, a New Yorker, a mama’s boy, a bank robber and a jackass. Now THAT’S entertainment! It opens in theaters this Friday and is on demand beginning August 15. I’m watching this one.
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