:01:03
Not a pervasive element
in modern American cinematic vision.
:01:08
Take Dog Day Afternoon, for example.
Arguably Pacino's best work.
:01:13
Short of Scarface and
Godfather Part I, of course.
:01:18
Masterpiece of directing,
easily Lumet's best.
:01:23
The cinematography, the acting,
the screenplay, all topnotch. But. . .
:01:36
. . .they didn't push the envelope.
:01:40
What if, in Dog Day Sonny wanted to
get away with it? Really wanted that.
:01:46
Now this is the tricky part. What if
he started killing hostages right away?
:01:51
No mercy, no quarter.
:01:53
"Meet our demands or the pretty blond
gets it in the head." Bam, splat.
:01:59
What, still no bus? Come on.
:02:02
How many innocent victims would it take
for the city. . .
:02:06
. . .to reverse its policy
on hostages?
:02:09
And this is 1966. There's no CNN.
There's no CNBC. There's no Internet.
:02:16
Fast-forward to today.
Present time, same situation.
:02:20
How quickly would the media
make a frenzy? In hours.
:02:24
It would be the biggest story from
Boston to Budapest.
:02:29
Ten hostages die.
:02:31
Twenty, thirty.
:02:33
Relentless. Bam, bim.
One after another.
:02:37
All on hi-def, computer-enhanced.
You can almost taste the brain matter.
:02:44
All for what? A bus, a plane?
:02:47
A couple million dollars
that's federally insured?
:02:55
I don't think so, but. . .
:02:57
. . .just a thought.