Great Scene: “Dog Day Afternoon”

“Attica! Attica! Attica!”

The stand-off. One of the most popular, recurring beats in cinematic history. And why not? There’s typically tension galore — guns waving, people screaming, threats being made. Perhaps the most memorable stand-off in recent movie history is this great scene from Dog Day Afternoon (1975). Written by award-winning screenwriter Frank Pierson, the scene finds Sonny (Al Pacino) outside a bank in which he’s holding several employees hostage in a bungled robbery. Negotiating with Sonny is police Detective Moretti (Charles Durning).

Here is the movie version of the scene:

Beyond the inherent tension between Sonny and Moretti, what makes the scene memorable is the surprising twist — “Attica! Attica!” — which effectively shifts the power from the cops to the robbers.

Screenwriting Takeaway: A script should have a half-dozen or more ‘trailer moments,’ scenes which the studio can use to market the film, something the audience will talk about later. This scene in Dog Day Afternoon? Definitely a trailer moment.

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