One of the best works from among the fifty films that Sidney Lumet directed over the course of his life. Here, too, we recognize his trademark social criticism, this time aimed at the media’s power to manipulate public opinion. At the forefront of the story, however, is a brilliant character study of two thieves who decide to rob a bank – unfortunately for them, after all the money has already been removed. In the following dramatic and absurd situations, Sonny and Sal (together with the bank employees they have taken hostage) are holed up in the bank, with the police, journalists, TV reporters and mobs of onlookers besieging them outside. A few hours of live television coverage manage to turn the crime into a sensational event that gives the thieves a false sense of grandeur and makes it practically impossible for them to surrender. And in this artificially turbulent atmosphere, there is no room for Sonny’s personal story: He was robbing the bank in order to get the money for his transsexual partner’s operation.

The film is being presented on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of John Cazale’s birth.