Context

This iconic line is chanted by Sonny Wortzik, played by Al Pacino, in the film Dog Day Afternoon (directed by Sidney Lumet, 1975). 

When a bank robbery goes wrong (if it went right, we wouldn't have a movie!), the police surround First Brooklyn Saving Bank with the robbers and their hostages inside.

Novice crook Sonny, who attempted to rob the bank to pay for his wife's gender reassignment surgery, steps outside to negotiate with the police. As you might expect, the negotiation between cops and robbers isn't exactly civil, and Sonny becomes increasingly heated, eventually invoking the name of the Attica prison riots, which occurred in 1971. 

And believe it or not, this is all based on a true story!

Where you've heard it

This line is used to protest police brutality, horrible prison conditions, and other unfair treatment by authority figures. But it's mostly used comically any time someone is behind bars, whether they're prison bars or not.

Additional Notable References

• Michael & Dwight chanting "Utica! Utica!" reminds us of this scene. 
• In a reverse reference, the documentary Attica, about the actual riots, preceded Dog Day Afternoon in 1974. 
• The film Gattaca is not a reference to Attica, and has nothing to do with it at all, even though that guy from The League got confused once.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

While Al Pacino's scenery-chewing overacting is always amusing to poke fun at, over 40 years since the actual Attica, not much has changed.