‘The Dog’ Review: A Gay Love Story About A Self-Obsessed Pervert Who Hates Al Pacino

Some people will do anything to get attention. John Wojtowicz - whose "dramatic love story" inspired "Dog Day Afternoon" starring Al Pacino - blurs the line between a man who would do anything for love and a man who would do anything for a great story to impress people with.

"The Dog" documents the love life of the late John Wojtowicz (March 9, 1945 - January 2, 2006), a man who is not afraid to say what he thinks - and what he feels. He describes his first gay experience in great detail (while he was a self-proclaimed Republican in the army), and has no shame in revealing his deep sexual hunger - for men, for women, for trans people. It made little difference.

The documentary focuses on the lead-up to the bank robbery in Brooklyn on August 22, 1972 that inspired the critically-acclaimed film "Dog Day Afternoon." After marrying Ernie Aron (later known as Elizabeth Debbie Eden) in 1971, it became clear to John that he could not bring his wife happiness without giving him the sex reassignment surgery he needed.

The way John describes the day he robbed that Chase Manhattan bank for Ernie's sex change illustrates his ability to draw all the attention to himself. Though one of his friends and fellow bank robber, Salvatore Naturale, was shot dead that day by the police, John only mentions this as an afterthought, following his dramatic description of his negotiations with the police and the media's portrayal of him during the heist.

There's no arguing that John thinks the world is his oyster. As he says in "The Dog," "there's only one star and that's me."

This was a different time: people watching the news didn't know what to make of John, an eccentric character with an even more eccentric sense of reality. Here was this gay bank robber, displaying power and aggression, all in the name of his wife and lover - nowhere were the stereotypes of effeminate characteristics and casual homosexual relationships.

Witnesses from that smoldering afternoon questioned John's true intentions: did he have an "altruistic motive" or was the bank robbery all for "theatrics"? Was he creating a caricature of himself for the media, and eating it all up?

With the advantages of hindsight, John describes that afternoon with ease - he plays up the drama and the love story fueling his bravery. But one source in "The Dog" notes that during the heist John wasn't "playing the crowd." He cried on the phone when the police contacted Ernie, and expressed concern for the seven hostages when Sal became aggressive.

But looking back safely from decades of distance, the fear of that situation has blurred, and John milks the benefits of being a quasi-celebrity after getting out of jail.

When "Dog Day Afternoon" is ever compared to the bank robbery, John likes to say: "I'm the bank robber, fuck Al Pacino!"

John wasn't the only one who benefited from that afternoon - Ernie's sex change was ultimately paid for, ironically by John's cut of the earnings from Al Pacino's film.

John loved the attention and publicity from the movie - he loved signing autographs, he wore a shirt with the words "I robbed this bank" in bold lettering when he returned to that fated corner in Brooklyn, and he spun the robbery into a brave and heroic act of love. John saw himself (or at least wanted others to see him) as a man who would do anything for his wife.

"You'd kill for your wife if you loved her," he proclaimed.

In many ways a proponent for gay rights and gay marriage - he married Ernie in the '70s, after all - he was also a traditionalist. He had kids (with his first wife, Carmen Bifulco), his marriage to Ernie featured her in a white dress and bouquet and him in a tux, and he called all of his partners his "wives." He enjoyed repeating that he had "three wives" in his lifetime, though most of his lovers weren't quite sure they would call themselves "John's wife."

But was it all an act? Ernie claims that John "tormented" her throughout their short marriage and that his true motive for robbing the bank was to pay back the mob; he borrowed money from them to pay for their wedding.

One thing's for sure: John loved to be in control - of his relationships, of the story, even of the documentary. In one scene, he gives directions to the cameramen for his own shots: "Quiet on the set!" he yells at one point.

Perhaps deep down, John felt as though his love was always unrequited - that he loved his partners more than they loved him. He seemed to yearn for commitment and for fairy tale-like romance and in some ways, he created his own true love story.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

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