Retriever, 27 October 1975, Page 7 Film

AI Pacino, Tom Laughlin and Peter Sellers Playing Round Town

A Survey of Current Releases

A well-done film like Dog Day Afternoon sport that rarest of accolades: "flawless." proves that not only is truth stranger than Although it may sound like a tired, fiction, but it is much more fasinating. promotional cliche, Dog Day Afternoon On August 22, 1972, Sonny (AI Pacino) will be one of the most talked-about films and Sal (John Cazale) held-up a Brooklyn of the year--it certainly is one of the best. bank. What was originally planned to be a Anyone who appreciates good drama quick hold-Up turned out to be a twelve­ cannot afford to miss it! hour ordeal involving hostages, police, FBI agents, reporters and a huge crowd BEN MALINOWSKI made up of both supporters and an­ tagonizers. Among the major develop­ The · sun shone down on the arena of ments that comes to light during the combat. The two men stared into each robbery is that Sonny is "married" to a others' eyes. Suddenly, the man on the left man named Leon (Chris Sarandon) and went for his gun. His opponent was a hair that the money from the bank would help faster on the draw, and brought his finance a sex-change operation for Leon. weapon into play first, using a smooth It would be a great temptation for a fanning motion to fire the gun, thus saving screenwriter to make this development the precious microseconds that spell the seem like the primary motivating force. difference between life and death in a gun But, Frank Pierson's screenplay makes battle. The spectators sighed in surprise, Sonny a character of remarkable com­ as the Master Gunfighter was defeated by plexity and Sonny's relationship with Leon this nondescript stranger. The stranger is only part of it. Sonny also has a walked slowly to the side, to collect his legitamate wife, three children and a reward. clinging mother; he is a Viet-Nam vet, a What's this, you ask? An unadvertised former bank teller and, according to his scene from Billy Jack Productions' The t~o wives, given to outbursts of anger. In Master Gunfighter? Not quite. Instead, it AI Pacino his role as Sonny, AI Pacino retains this was your humble reviewer throwing down complexity: he is desperate and ap­ against WAYE's Master Gunfighter, Chris prehensive, he is full of fear and yet a Emery.' My prizes (unfortun~tely) were He slays all but one of them, who tells him camera changes to look at the last op­ ~owd-pleaser. His performance is so not beautiful senoritas and gold, but a that his brother-in·law Paulo is going after ponent, who also seems stunned. Then ~otally real that adjectives are not enough­ shirt, a book, and two passes to the movie Indians again. So, he returns home, slowly, grotesquely, a thick rope of blood it must be seen. that is currently being given media and determined to stop the slaughter. The rest JOzes out of his forehead, and he falls Director Sidney Lumet moves things schlock promotion beyond compare, The of the movie deals with his struggles to over dead before he, or we, could realize it. along at an even pace that makes the film Master Gunfighter. avert the atrocity. These are a few of the reasons I would both compelling and credable. It is over Apparently, Billy Jack Productions Getting away from the plot, the movie easily recomend this movie. Sure it will two hours long, but you never seem to decided to keep their hand in the movie :brings several things to mind. Once again, be compared to the BIlly Jack series. This notice it. As in his previous films (Twelve business while preparing the fourth of the Tom Laughlin and Delores Taylor have is .unav~idable. Sure it preaches, perhaps Angry Men, The Pawnbroker, Long Day's Billy Jack series, so they proceeded to given us a propaganda movie. However, ·this too IS unavoidable. However, it is still Journey Into Night, The Hill, Serpico, keep their star in the public eye by com· this time, instead of hitting us with the an entertaining movie on its own. And Murder On the Orient Express et.al.) he bining all of the current, and some of th€ impact of a steam roller, they use oh, say a these days, that is something unique. shows a staggering versatility and an classic, popular elements of the widel) ;VW van. The messages are there, the . CHIP PHILLIPS ability with actors that few American appealing movie. The Master Gunfighter 'corrupt U.S. government defrauding the directors can rival. The acting is top­ is a western, with ancient" oriental martiaJ original Spanish landowners, who in turn The credi ts began rolling, every other knotch throughout the cast list. This kind art. It exposes grave issues of must murder innocent Indians to secure character was played by Peter Sellers. of ensemble acting is something you are, socioeconomic corruption. beautiful the gold to maintain their rightful (?) Sellers portrays 6 characters in his latest :more likely to see in European films and women, unrequited love, (a fairly well lands, but all the sermons are somewhat film "Undercovers Heroes". It seems that iJacking in most American films where so . :known star,) and, yes, just a pinch of SEX hidden behind the facade of the B-western he has cornered the market on multi­ much empbasis is placed on the star fo top it all off. . ;The main things remniscent of the Billy character films. He has used this genre, ·system.· . When the Billy Jack movies first ap­ Jack movies are, first, the obvious sin· the multi character approach several This is the second film in which Lumet, peared, comments were made of Tom cerity of the producers, the idea of some times most memorably in "Dr.. Pierson and Pacino combined their skills. Laughlin's resemblence to a "wooden !spontaneous humor, given by aver) Strangelove.' , The first was Serpico--another example of indian." In The Master Gunfigher, smoothly performing Lincoln Kilpatrick Although the plot is a little ragged at fine filmmaking derived from factual Laughlin reaches a new low in un­ and the authenticity of the mattial arts times and the dialogue cliche-ish the material. Like Serpico, and other Lumet communicativeness. His lines are sparse, used. Instead of using the Hap Kido Karate movie is a valiant attempt to put WWII in films, Dog Day Afternoon portrays New as usual, but his delivery is even more we became familiar with in the Billy Jack to a personalize perspective. The cliche's York as not so much a city as it is a terse than before. The reasons are ap­ ifilms, Laughlin used a form of Kendo, or add a touch of madcap to an other wise dull motivating force in which otherwise parent as the movie progresses, as the the art of using the sword. He combined movie. reasonable people do desperate and · production elevates and elevates, until :this with typical western gunplay, sup­ Under covers heroes makes fun of irrational things. In Serpico it was crime :Laughlin becomes almost a Christ symbol. !posedly unique in that each of his guns ,everything, church, French, German among crimefighters, in The Pawnbroker He plays Finley, the roving gunfighter, .fired 12 shots (but all real Western af­ .British, Japanese, Americans and people it was a man turning his back on 'who, with gun and Samurai sword, carves ficionados know that John Wayne's guns in general for their hangups about sex. One humanity, in Dog Day it is displayed in the :out a legend in his own life. He marries the have been doing this for years). The thing for sure the phrase "War Makes behavior of Sonny. 'beautiful Lady EUla (Barbera Carrera), iuniqueness . came in the sword scenes Strange Bedfellows" had a rejuvenation in Dog Day Afternoon features excellent 'and has a staunch friend in her brother where Laughlin did very little of the flashy WWII. For as the last Sellers character performances by all of the supporting cast, !Paulo (Ron O'Neal). He lives with them on idiocy that the neophyte believes to be appears as the president of the special particularly Charles Durning as Boretti, a their ancestral California hacienda in the talent. The true masters use economy, forces and attempts to pin medals on the cop who must maintain communication mid 1800's. He gives up his life of ease after !killing very cleanly and very fast. And the amply endo'Yed "girls" the camera pans with Sonny as well as deal with the circus­ lhe becomes an unwilling participant in a :movie portrayed the masters extremely to the whorehouse and a plaque on the wall like activity outside the bank; and James :massacre of a tribe of Indians. He .well. In one scene, Finley has bested 4 or 5 which says, "In this house the foundations Broderick who makes his role as an FBI ,sacrifices all of his earthly possessions in ·owonents, and stands sword to sword with of liberty and freedom were well laid" agent highly suspicious and quietly !order to placate his conscience. the last. Suddenly he-moves, faster than Laid they were, but it seems that this time sinister. The photography and editing are So Finley drifts from town to town, until ~e can follow, and then sheathes his Sellers has laid an egg. both very skillful. In fact, this film can suddenly a group of killers come after him. ~word. The audience is stunned. The :BRAD HOPKINS