Continuity mistake: In the scene in which they discuss Sylvia smoking, the paper on the table is different between shots. In the shots of Sylvia there is some paper near the can on the left. In the shots of Sal, the paper is not there. (01:03:00)
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
Directed by: Sidney Lumet
Starring: Al Pacino, Carol Kane, John Cazale, Penelope Allen, Beulah Garrick, Sully Boyar
Continuity mistake: Just after Sonny says, of Sal, that "that man bites" a potted plant seems to disappear then reappear from the counter. Sonny and the head cashier are moving down the counter getting the cash from each position as they go and, if you look at the signs on the counter, you can see that some shots are shown out of order; there are some shots of "Maria"'s position (no plant) interleaved with the previous position (with a plant). But the end effect is the same - appearing and disappearing plant. (00:12:20)
Continuity mistake: In the exterior shot of Sal entering the bank, there is a car parked by the door. In the interior shot, the car is not visible behind Sal. This mistake is reversed half a minute later when Sonny enters the bank. There is no car in the exterior shot, but it can be seen in the interior one. (00:04:00)
More trivia for Dog Day Afternoon
Sonny: You'd like to kill me? Bet you would.
Sheldon: I wouldn't like to kill you. I will if I have to.
Sonny: It's your job, right? The guy who kills me... I hope he does it because he hates my guts, not because it's his job.
Sonny: Bank robbing is a federal offense. You got me on kidnapping, armed robbery. You're gonna bury me, man.
Leon: I mean, how do they expect you to get uncrazy if you're asleep all the time?
Question: How did Sonny know that the black limo driver was a cop?
Question: What would've happened if Sonny drove the limo himself, refused to tell the police where they were going, and told the police not to follow them? Also, if Sal had hostages sitting behind him as well, making it impossible for the police to get a clean shot? How could the police have stopped them, without getting any hostages killed?
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Answer: He didn't. He just assumed the cops would try something like that, substituting a cop for the real driver. What he didn't anticpate is that they had substituted cops for everyone around the bus when it arrived, and when he replaced the black driver he would have to (unknowingly) pick a cop, regardless. Incidentally, this part of the story is completely factual, it actually happened that way.