The Dog

“The Dog” is a documentary about John Wojtowicz, who robbed a bank in Brooklyn in 1972 to help fund his partner’s gender-reassignment surgery. The whole ordeal was televised and was eventually turned into a movie titled “Dog Day Afternoon” and starred Al Pacino. The film switches between John’s life in the 60’s and 70’s and current times to help chronicle the early gay liberation movement and its progression into mainstream. John is a larger than life character with a huge ego, big sex drive, and numerous lovers.
From beginning to end, I was not a fan of John and did not feel he was portrayed in an even better light after watching “The Dog.” The documentary was interesting, but not enough to keep my attention throughout the film. John was not a likeable character and was still a bit confused why a whole documentary was dedicated to him and why his story was made into a movie. There are more interesting stories out there with a lot more substance and felt “The Dog” was a boring waste of time. He claims to have played an active role in the gay liberation movement, but feel he did not do much but act like himself. There are better documentaries out there more worth your time. For those reasons, I am giving “The Dog” a “D.”