Directed by Sidney Lumet (Network, Serpico) and based on the true story of a 1972 failed bank robbery, Dog Day Afternoon shows exactly how bad a bungled heist can go. What should have taken 10 minutes is drawn out to 12 hours as small-time crooks Sonny (Al Pacino) and Sal (John Cazale) are surrounded by police and then — worse — the media. Fueling Sonny’s desperate bid for money is his unwitting lover Leon, who is in need of gender reassignment surgery. Set against one of the hottest days of the year, the desperation and perspiration leads to a tense negotiation process between the cops and robbers, as the crowd outside starts to root for Sonny, played to perfection by Pacino.

Seen at the time as an anti-establishment film riding a public wave of anti-Vietnam sentiment, Dog Day Afternoon was universally praised for its complex characterisation of a compelling anti-hero. The real Sonny — John Wojtowicz — used the $7,500 + 1% net film profits given to him for his story to assist his actual lover Elizabeth Debbie Eden in securing a finer quality of life.