This film is timelessly entertaining. Entertaining. That's the key word I guess, it entertains you. I could watch Al Pacino exchange verbal blows with the cops for hours and hours and never get bored. That's fun. I was on the edge of my seat for the length of the scene where the police bus crawls through the city to the airport and you think for just a second that they might get away with it all. That's tension. When the insurance broker crosses the street to inspect the bank, I bit my lip while Sonny - sorry, Al Pacino - sweat. That's empathy.
Fun. Tension. Empathy.
This movie is entertaining in the way it engages the viewer. In some ways it's a character study. In a much more important way, it's the world's slowest thrill ride, with a dominating leading man under the direction of one of film history's greats.
4/5