Mary Allen
Introduction: The Heist
In the 1975 movie "Dog Day Afternoon," a bank robbery goes awry, with the robbers holding several hostages inside the bank. The movie is based on the real-life events of a bank robbery that took place in Brooklyn, New York, in August 1972. The incident was one of the most dramatic and widely-publicized bank robberies in American history, and remains a subject of fascination to this day.
The Robbers’ Identities
The two robbers in the movie are Sonny Wortzik (played by Al Pacino) and Sal Naturile (played by John Cazale). In real life, the robbers were John Wojtowicz and Salvatore Naturale. Wojtowicz was a Vietnam War veteran and a former bank employee who had a history of criminal activity. Naturale was a childhood friend of Wojtowicz’s who had recently been released from prison.
The Beginning of the Heist
The robbery began when Wojtowicz and Naturale entered the Chase Manhattan Bank in Brooklyn, armed with guns and a homemade explosive device. They quickly took several bank employees and customers hostage, and demanded a ransom of $1 million in exchange for their release. The police were alerted to the situation and quickly surrounded the bank.
The Negotiations with the Police
The police negotiators attempted to talk to the robbers and resolve the situation peacefully. However, the robbers became increasingly agitated and demanded more money and a getaway car. The negotiations dragged on for several hours, during which time the robbers allowed some of the hostages to leave the bank.
The Role of the Media
The media was heavily involved in the incident, with reporters and cameramen gathering outside the bank to cover the story. The robbers themselves spoke to the media several times during the siege, and their words were broadcast live on television. The media coverage added to the tension and drama of the situation.
The Hostages’ Experience
The hostages endured a harrowing ordeal during the siege, with some of them being threatened and abused by the robbers. However, they also developed a rapport with the robbers and were able to influence their behavior to some extent. One hostage, a transgender woman named Liz Eden, became a particularly prominent figure in the media coverage of the incident.
The Robbers’ Motives
The motives of the robbers are somewhat unclear. Wojtowicz claimed that he was robbing the bank to pay for his lover’s sex reassignment surgery, while Naturale’s motivations are less clear. Some have speculated that the two men were simply looking for a quick way to make money.
The Turning Point
The turning point of the siege came when the robbers realized that the police had not brought the money they had demanded. At this point, they became more desperate and began to lose control of the situation.
The Betrayal
The robbers were eventually betrayed by one of their accomplices, who had promised to bring them a getaway car but instead fled the scene. The police were able to use this information to their advantage and gain the upper hand in the negotiations.
The Aftermath
The siege ended in a hail of gunfire, with both robbers being captured by the police. One hostage was killed in the crossfire, and several others were injured. The incident received widespread media coverage and became the subject of a bestselling book and a hit movie.
The Real Story
While the movie "Dog Day Afternoon" is based on the real-life events of the Brooklyn bank robbery, it takes some liberties with the facts. For example, the movie portrays the robbers as sympathetic characters who are driven to desperate measures by circumstance. In reality, the robbers were violent criminals who had planned the robbery for months.
Conclusion: Unraveling the Mystery
The identity and motives of the robbers in the Brooklyn bank robbery remain somewhat mysterious to this day. While the movie "Dog Day Afternoon" has become a classic of American cinema, it should be remembered that it is a fictionalized account of a real-life tragedy. As with many historical events, the truth of what happened on that hot summer day in 1972 may never be fully known.