Plot
A documentary portrait of the late John Wojtowicz, whose attempted robbery of a Brooklyn bank to finance his male lover's sex-reassignment surgery was the real-life inspiration for Dog Day Afternoon (1975).
Release Year: 2013
Rating: 7.1/10 (86 voted)
Critic's Score: 75/100
Director: Allison Berg
Stars: John Wojtowicz, Carmen Bifulco, Jeremy Bowker
Storyline
A documentary portrait of the late
Cast: John Wojtowicz -
Himself
Carmen Bifulco -
Herself
Jeremy Bowker -
(voice)
Liz Debbie Eden -
Herself
George Heath -
Himself
Bob Kappstatter -
Himself
Dr. Eugene Lowenkopf -
Himself
P.S. Mueller -
(voice)
Jeremiah Newton -
Himself
Stan Thaler -
Himself
Richard Wandel -
Himself
Randolfe Wicker -
Himself
(as Randy Wicker)
Theresa Basso Wojtowicz -
Herself
Tony Wojtowicz -
Himself
The story of "Dog Day Afternoon" always intrigued me, since I never
believed that the whole thing was true -- it didn't seem plausible that
anyone like John, the "Dog" of the title, could really exist. After
watching this documentary, I can say without a doubt that this person
really existed, and not only that, but that he's even more entertaining
in real life than Al Pacino was in the famous movie that was made about
it.
John is a multi-faceted, bizarre, crazy clown of a man with the most
fascinating approach to gay rights ever. He is hilarious, headstrong,
outspoken, a sheer nut case, and incredibly sympathetic, even heart
breaking in his dedication to those he loves. His purpose in robbing
the bank, to get his lover a sex-change operation, always seemed to be
a plot device added to the film by the scriptwriter. Amazingly, it is
all true, and even more truth is yet to come.
One thing that really surprised me was the treatment of the
relationship between John and his second "wife" -- Leon. John was
actually married to a biological woman and had two children with her,
and not only married Leon, he also married another man later in life.
John was not only ahead of his time, way before gay marriage existed,
he invented a new form of marriage, the likes of which would never be
legal, at least in our lifetimes.
In the movie "Dog Day Afternoon", John holds up the bank in order to
get enough money for his lover Leon's sex change operation. I could
never believe that the man played by Pacino could do such a thing, but
watching John in this film, it is believable -- again, the truth here
is stranger than fiction. Even John's mother actually appeared on the
scene as in the movie, which also seems impossible until you meet
John's real life mother. At first, John's relationship with his mother
seems merely abnormal -- later, it seems like these two people deserve
each other in being two sides of the same bizarre coin.
Added to this is the fact that John never regrets his decision to go
through with the robbery, regardless of having gone to jail and having
spent a great deal of time in maximum security -- when interviewed
after being captured, he still admitted that he was in love with Leon,
and would have done it again if he had to do it all over again.
What complicates this unbelievable sacrifice is a very candid interview
when John is on a cable-access-type show, when John and Leon, (now
having had the operation and transitioned into Liz), are both giving
their individual perspectives, and Leon/Liz hints that there might have
been another reason as to why John robbed the bank, to which John is
not admitting. This opens up yet another can of worms that is never
answered. It leaves a gaping hole in John's motivation for robbing the
bank, and brings us back again to the essential question: how is it
possible that truth can be so much stranger than fiction?
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