I spent the first 35+ years of my life hearing about how great this movie is, and I finally get around to watching it and now I know why.
It isn't because it's a good movie. It's because it has a tranny in it. Or maybe they're just gay, or a gay cross dresser? idk because I half tuned it out by then and started playing video games while I watched out of the corner of my eye.
I saw it fairly recently. The tranny stuff didn’t bother me, and I felt it served to show how messed up Pachino’s character was. Also, it is part of the true story the movie is based on.
Personally, I think it’s a solid piece of entertainment, but it’s not great. I wouldn’t compare it to “Citizen Kane”, “All That Jazz”, or even “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”.
The movie is praised for Pacino and Cazale's performances. If you know Pacino for his later yelling Pacino phase his early stuff may surprise people. I think the movie is also where the Attica chants became popular.
What a brilliant film -- I remember some reviews from way back in the day that trashed the film for being incoherent and a bit of mess, but I thought it was a great encapsulation of a semi-biographical pic that was quite layered, and Roy Scheider was a force in that film.
It is great. It wouldn’t make my top ten, but just barely. Top 15 for sure.