I am a huge fan of Sidney Lumet's Dog Day Afternoon, mostly because of the pre Scarface Pacino, and there are some parallels here between these two movies. Both show a heist gone bad (which admitedly is more interesting than a heist gone right) by desperate non criminals, and the trajedy of a weak willed individual whith no other option.
All the main actors, Finney, Hawke, Hoffman and Tomei are firing on all cylinders and giving their all, and there are some definite raw emotional moments, however many of them do not ring true or seem to be believable. First of all, even though I love Hoffman, he seemed slightly miscast in this role, it's hard to believe that this portly old fud, even with his money, could manage to bag a babe like Tomei. Their relationship did not ring true to me. The opening sex scene was a little shocking and somewhat gratuitous. Also slightly unbelievable is how quickly Hoffman goes from a sweet guy into a cold blooded killer. Hawke is also a bit unbelievable as the rediculously weak willed brother who caves to his portly, not terribly physically imposing older brother. On top of this we get the usual father son tensions that reminds me a lot of scenes from Magnolia. This seems very strange and out of place however since Hoffman just orchestrated the death of his mother(!) and yet he has the audacity to get angry at his father for trying to make amends? A few other cliches like the gunshot from off camera killing the shooter happening instead of the one we are expecting. Also, Finney's character killing his son withouth any kind of internal struggle whatsoever.
Some people have critisized the non linear story telling in this move, but I feel like it is one of it's strong points. THere is a reason for it, as the story becomes more of a puzzle to piece together, a la Pulp Fiction, where we gather more information about motivation and who is who that is not readily apparent the first time through. This kind of story telling demands that you pay attention.
Overall a good movie if you like drama aren't bothered by a few cliches and tragic endings, because this goes into Shakesperean territory for sure.
All the main actors, Finney, Hawke, Hoffman and Tomei are firing on all cylinders and giving their all, and there are some definite raw emotional moments, however many of them do not ring true or seem to be believable. First of all, even though I love Hoffman, he seemed slightly miscast in this role, it's hard to believe that this portly old fud, even with his money, could manage to bag a babe like Tomei. Their relationship did not ring true to me. The opening sex scene was a little shocking and somewhat gratuitous. Also slightly unbelievable is how quickly Hoffman goes from a sweet guy into a cold blooded killer. Hawke is also a bit unbelievable as the rediculously weak willed brother who caves to his portly, not terribly physically imposing older brother. On top of this we get the usual father son tensions that reminds me a lot of scenes from Magnolia. This seems very strange and out of place however since Hoffman just orchestrated the death of his mother(!) and yet he has the audacity to get angry at his father for trying to make amends? A few other cliches like the gunshot from off camera killing the shooter happening instead of the one we are expecting. Also, Finney's character killing his son withouth any kind of internal struggle whatsoever.
Some people have critisized the non linear story telling in this move, but I feel like it is one of it's strong points. THere is a reason for it, as the story becomes more of a puzzle to piece together, a la Pulp Fiction, where we gather more information about motivation and who is who that is not readily apparent the first time through. This kind of story telling demands that you pay attention.
Overall a good movie if you like drama aren't bothered by a few cliches and tragic endings, because this goes into Shakesperean territory for sure.