Back in April of 2016, I sat down with actor Steve Coulter (twice). He was one of the special guests attending the Cornwall and Area Pop Expo (CAPE). The character actor, who has had a plethora of interesting roles over his career, is perhaps best remembered as the kind hearted, intellectual Reg Monroe (the mastermind behind the walled compound of Alexandria) on the ever popular series The Walking Dead. He has also had a recurring role as Amishman Elijah Bowman on the standout Cinemax series Banshee. On the film front, he has worked with horror maestro James Wan an impressive five times, including as Father Gordon in The Conjuring and its sequel, as well as playing Carl in Insidious: Chapter’s 2 and 3. He also portrayed Roger, a lawyer, in one of my favourites – Mr. Brooks. Mr. Coulter was gracious enough to be interviewed twice, once as part of a local Cogeco special, while on day two of CAPE, we chatted all things Banshee. Check out both meetings below to hear some great stories from all the things mentioned above, as well as his favourite film.
When I broached the subject of the actor’s favoured motion picture, he provided me with three. At the top of his list is the classic crime flick Dog Day Afternoon (which will be reviewed here today), which was closely followed by The Great Escape and East of Eden. For his reasoning on each, check out the video directly above.
Directed by film icon Sidney Lumet, Dog Day Afternoon takes us inside the hubbub of New York City, as a gang of three individuals plan a bank robbery in the heart of the city. Their leader is Sonny (Al Pacino), a fast talking, hyper man and first time crook – who also happens to be a former Vietnam Vet. He has teamed up with an ominously quiet man, who very well may be a bit unhinged, named Sal (John Cazale), as well as a meek young man called Stevie (Gary Springer) – who promptly gets cold feet, asking to leave the bank just as they begin the heist.
The First Brooklyn Savings Bank is managed by the cool, calm and unfazed Mr. Mulvaney (Sully Boyar), while head teller Sylvia (Penelope Allen) seems equally as collected. Much dark humour comes from the fact that none of the employees seem overly intimidated by the robbers. They insult them on their planning, ask to go to the washroom, and, in some cases, seem to be enlivened by the shot of adrenaline that has been injected into their mundane lives.
Humour also comes from the fact that nothing falls into place from the very beginning. Not only does Stevie desert the men, but asthmatic security guard Howard Calvin (John Marriott) has an attack, the money they were told was going to be there was shipped out earlier in the day, and the cops surround them before they have a chance to wrap up the armed robbery.
Within seconds, two hundred and fifty police officers surround the bank, while media buzzes around (making them instant and infamous celebrities) and uncountable masses watch from behind the cordoned off area as well as on television. In charge of the whole situation is plump Detective Sergeant Eugene Moretti (Charles Durning), who has the unenviable job of trying to keep the ever growing situation in check. Soon, Sonny sees no way out unless he starts a dialogue with Moretti.
With FBI agents Sheldon (James Broderick) and Murphy (Lance Henriksen) monitoring the detective’s every move, Moretti slowly buckles under the uncomfortable situation. It does not take long for Sonny to highlight the unruliness and lack of professionalism that many of the rank hold, with his utterance of “Attica! Attica!” winding the crowd up, providing him with raucous support. ***For those of you who do not know the event, it was when prisoners rioted over living conditions and human rights in 1971 – they took control of the prison (Attica), nabbing forty-two staff as hostages. Upon its resolution (which was ordered by Governor Nelson Rockefeller), more than forty were dead, including many civilians and officers. ***
Soon, the reason for Sonny’s heist is revealed when his (supposed) wife arrives, and to everyone’s surprise, it is a man named Leon (Chris Sarandon). The bizarre tale is divulged, as Sonny is also married to a woman with whom he has two children. The bungled robbery was orchestrated as a means to pay for Leon’s $2500.00 plus sex change operation.
Things take a more serious tone when FBI agent Sheldon takes over as the negotiator. The strong willed game player flips the odds back in his favour by swaying the crowd’s opinion back to the cops’ side, while also cutting the lighting and air conditioning to the bank. With a bus and plane being fuelled for their escape, will Sonny and Sal achieve their near impossible goal and be able to flee the country, or will the long arm of the law drag them back down to reality?
The first thing that stands out in Dog Day Afternoon is its amazing characterizations – though this should perhaps be expected from the man who directed 12 Angry Men, a film that was completely rivetting due to its characters despite the limitations of it being set in one room for the near entirety of its running time. Lumet, in intoxicating fashion, reveals more about the personas as the plot progresses, enlightening us to their many goals, flaws and positive attributes. Perhaps this is best encapsulated by Sal’s reaction to Sonny’s phony threat that he will kill the hostages if the police encroach on the bank. Sal then whispers to him that he is ready to start shooting if he wants him to.
Finding itself in the heart of the anti-establishment movement (with the horrors of the Vietnam War still fresh in the American psyche), Dog Day Afternoon perfectly captures this era of rebellious rabble-rousing. Highlighting problems and incompetence with the police, media, as well as touching on several other topics, Sonny can be seen as one of the iconic anti-establishment characters in film history, alongside others like Billy Jack, the gang in Easy Rider or Randall McMurphy from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
Dog Day Afternoon is a crime flick done right. Combining two spectacular performances from Pacino and Cazale, along with wonderful turns from the rest of the impressive supporting cast, the movie draws us in by way of its rich characters and intoxicating heist story (winning Frank Pierson Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards). Loosely based on true events, Lumet builds a New York robbery that feels utterly real by way of its time, place and setting – making for one of the standout gems of the 1970s. Thankfully, you don’t have to pull a job to have this classic motion picture steal your attention.