One of my favourite facts about the film is that Sonny, (in real life), watched the Godfather for some ideas before committing the actual robbery. So in quite the twist of fate, it would be Pacino that portrays him in the film.
Amazing how life works out like that

I would've said that the writing was borderline ridiculous, however it is based on a true story, which I guess makes it instead an interesting and genuine insight into extreme human behaviour. Although, as with Network, I didn't really engage with the film to a great extent, it did have some moments of poignancy (particular the ending - the realization of Sonny that he has led his "innocent" and somewhat dependent friend to an avoidable death). Lumet has a strange ability to produce acting performances of an almost surreal nature in an entirely plausible manner (the crowd cheering on a bank robber/hostage taker; and the whole gay side-marriage situation, which was particularly nice to see from Al Pacino), which is certainly provocative, and provides for a more refreshing film experience than many modern heist flicks. Further, when a large proportion of films in the genre aim to showcase the ingenuity of the criminal, it's pleasant to see an incompetent and thoroughly human bad guy/good guy protagonist. It's testimony to Pacino's performance that not once throughout watching did I question the moral correctness of my endearment to Sonny as the good guy.

This film is simply incredible and probably the best proof of what a fantastic actor Pacino is.