The film "Afternoon on a Hot Day" Very attractive, but also with a strong sense of the times. The 1970s were peaceful and decadent, but under the appearance of orderly society in the United States, people were so restless and dissatisfied, longing for rebellious heroes like rock stars.
The protagonist of the film, the bank robber Sonny is probably such a rebellious hero. Calling him "hero" is just because he is the protagonist of this good show, if it weren't for this sensational bank robbery, he would be just a loser caught in all kinds of quagmire of life; of course, the final result of the bank robbery is him I didn't get the money, my accomplice died, my lover broke up, my family was heartbroken, and I went to prison myself - I became a more thorough loser, but at least they were the losers who stood in the center of the stage and received applause from the crowd. .
Director Sidney Lumet is a first-class master of plot, rhythm and lines, and is very good at making room dramas. His films do not rely on complex scenes and artistic designs, dazzling special effects and editing, or even basically do not use soundtracks, but he has wonderful scene scheduling and mastery of rhythm tension. As a result, his films came out like excellent stage plays, in line with the aesthetics of my theater-born audience, and watching his work can focus more on plot, performance, and theme. (One day, when I write the top 5, we will talk about the comparison of "Twelve Angry Men" and other derivative works in detail~)
Many people say that Al Pacino gave his best performance in "Hot Afternoon." Al Pacino is a godfather since The Godfather, and I've always thought he was a bit overrated for years on stage and in film for his title of "King of Acting" (not as good as Marlon Brando in the first place, well, this one's coming too top 5), but, "Hot Afternoon" is really good, and another actor, even De Niro or Jack Nicholson, probably won't be able to play it. The Sonny he created has a sensitive and delicate temperament, different from ordinary outlaws or rough men, but he is tough enough. At the same time, although he knew that he would be killed (not necessarily dead, but he was smart enough to judge the situation in various situations, and at the same time rationally realized that he had no hope of success), a huge explosion broke out. Energy, it is probably inaccurate to say that "the mayfly shakes the tree", because he knows that this little ant can't shake the big tree, it is a bit like a carnival at the end. However, his starting point has always been for the sake of others.
Since the originally flawed bank robbery was out of control, surrounded by police, the robbers held hostages at gunpoint, and his companion Sal was unwilling to surrender and go to jail, saying that he would rather die, the whole incident has entered the Dead end, almost no solution. But Sonny has been "running the show" by himself, trying to keep the incident from escalating, trying to save the hostages, trying to make his companions happy, and trying to satisfy his original selfishness. As a result, as the plot unfolds, we gradually find that he is not a social activist or performance artist with aesthetic pursuits, but a lover, veteran, and family man who knows a lot but can't find a job. After returning from the Vietnam War, he did not get good treatment. The main purpose of robbing the bank was to raise funds for sex reassignment surgery for his homosexuals... Unfortunately, he "did his life" like this, but he did not get the support of the people around him. Homosexuals, heterosexual wives and mothers of two children, and their own parents, all criticized and complained about him. On the contrary, the onlookers on the street loved him like a star.
There are many memorable details of Sonny's performance throughout the film. If the previous paragraphs like chicken-blooded excitement, refuting the police in public, questioning live TV interviews, etc. are still a bit strong, when it finally came to the phone with his gay lover Leon, Sonny's almost collapsed mental state finally Showed honestly. He told his lover "I'm dying here." After the phone call, Leon didn't want to go with him, or come over to say goodbye face to face, and it could even be said to fundamentally deny Sonny robbing a bank (although it was for him Get money), Sonny's last mental support also collapsed. The moment he hung up the phone, it could be seen that Sonny was very heartbroken and desperate, but he couldn't have a seizure, because he had to take care of the emotions and survival of his companion Sal and the hostages, and he really wanted to cry without tears. The entire phone scene was supposedly improvised, but Al Pacino's expression left an indelible impression on me at the end.
At the end of the film, many people discussed, did Sonny betray Sal? I don't think so. Selling teammates for self-defense is betrayal. Sonny is more aware than Sal that they will fail, and at the same time, to appease Sal's emotions and protect the hostages, he deliberately concealed this. Towards the end of the event, Sonny expected that both he and Sal would die, and his will made it clear that he intended to use his life insurance money to pay for Leon's sex change operation. However, how to hurt others as little as possible, and how to wake up Sal from his good expectations as late as possible, is what he has been thinking about and working hard.
When the police drove up the car he asked for, he excitedly pointed it out to Sal and said, "See, this is the car that's going to take us to the airport!" I promise you will fix this, trust me. It is a pity that although the "Great Escape Plan" he designed achieved the first two steps, it was declared bankrupt with Sal's death in the third step. And just half a minute after Sal was killed and the hostages were rescued, the film entered Sonny's personal time. He was subdued by the police and pressed against the car, and all the sound disappeared. He looked at the unscathed hostages, and then watched Looking at the dead Sal, those few seconds of eyes can be said to depict Sonny's values and personality incisively and vividly. He has a strong sense of responsibility for everyone and also regrets what he did.
Viewers watching the movie may be brought in by the protagonist, and then empathize with the robbers and feel uncomfortable with the ending. But in fact, in real scenarios, bank robbers take hostages with guns, threatening the lives of others, and the police can shoot them to death at any time if they have the opportunity. In the case, the police have already acted relatively slowly, and even tried to be too stable (maybe they were bureaucratic and lack of responsibility at that time?), in today's robbers, as long as they appear within the range, they are likely to be killed by one shot. (Think of the cafe hijacking incident in Australia the year before last, where the police did not hesitate to sacrifice a few hostages directly, with a completely different style). Watching this film at a time when terrorism has become a new global issue will feel a little different.
Although that era was decadent, people still had traditional morals, courtesy, and upbringing. No matter how hot it is, wear a long-sleeved shirt well. When the bank manager broke the F word when his life was at stake, he wanted to apologize to the female employees. Sonny scolded the world but still kissed his mother tenderly and said goodbye. Clear, well-worded language leaves a will.
To the lover, leave money and blessings; to the wife, leave money, tenderness, and entrustment to the upbringing of the children; to the mother, pray for forgiveness, after all, he is still a Catholic; finally, he said: "I want a military funeral, and I'm entitled to have one free of charge." (I want to have a National Army funeral and believe I am entitled to this service for free.) Sonny said this final account with restraint, clarity and pain, At the same time, it feels so humble.
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