X
- 1973
- R
- Paramount Pictures
- 2 h 10 m
- 1973
- R
- Paramount Pictures
- 2 h 10 m
Summary Sidney Lumet's 1973 film stars Al Pacino as New York cop Frank Serpico.
Directed By: Sidney Lumet
Written By: Peter Maas, Waldo Salt, Norman Wexler
- 1973
- R
- Paramount Pictures
- 2 h 10 m
- 1973
- R
- Paramount Pictures
- 2 h 10 m
Serpico
8.0
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Summary Sidney Lumet's 1973 film stars Al Pacino as New York cop Frank Serpico.
Directed By: Sidney Lumet
Written By: Peter Maas, Waldo Salt, Norman Wexler
Where to Watch
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Get 3 Extra months free
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Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 16 Critic Reviews
83
88% Positive
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
13% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 16 Critic Reviews
83
88% Positive
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
13% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
This is a movie about disguise, denial, alienation and the terrible toll taken on the people who make a stand that their fearful or resentful contemporaries see as odd, eccentric or foolhardy – but will later sheepishly admit were entirely right.
It is galvanizing because of Al Pacino's splendid performance in the title role and because of the tremendous intensity that Mr. Lumet brings to this sort of subject. (Review of Original Release)
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 133 User Ratings
8.0
89% Positive
119 Ratings
119 Ratings
11% Mixed
14 Ratings
14 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 133 User Ratings
8.0
89% Positive
119 Ratings
119 Ratings
11% Mixed
14 Ratings
14 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
The hyperactive but brilliant Al Pacino in one of the roles that put him under the spotlight: the real drama of an idealistic policeman and his brave and tireless fight alone against police corruption. A classic in the 70s automatic.
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Oh, Serpico is just the perfect bedtime story for anyone who’s ever dreamt of becoming a police officer. Who wouldn’t want to dive headfirst into a world where corruption is the norm and the only reward for honesty is a one-way ticket to paranoia and isolation? Al Pacino’s portrayal of Frank Serpico, with his big, soulful eyes and relentless quest for justice, is the heart of the movie, designed to make everyone feel warm and fuzzy about the moral fabric of our society. And let’s not forget the delightful backdrop of gritty 1970s New York City, which adds extra beauty to this uplifting tale. It’s a must-watch for anyone who enjoys a good laugh at the expense of their faith in humanity.
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A courageous and gritty police exposé. [11 Oct 2014, p.37]
By Rachel Ward
Al Pacino takes on police corruption in the gritty Serpico, a film that's entirely dominated and driven by Pacino's empowered performance.
By Almar Haflidason
FULL REVIEW
Pacino dominates the entire film. His inner personal torment is vividly detailed. (Review of Original Release)
By Staff (Not credited)
FULL REVIEW
The theme is richly comic, and the film is great fun, even though it sacrifices Serpico's story--one of the rare hopeful stories of the time--for a cynical, downbeat finish.
Wonderful potential, and wasted. Serpico has some brutal surface flash and an acetylene performance by Al Pacino in the title role, but its energy is used to dodge all the questions it should have raised and answered.
By Jay Cocks
FULL REVIEW
This film is based on real facts. Set in the USA in the early Seventies, it tells the story of Frank Serpico, an honest young man who became a policeman and dreamed of becoming a detective, but who clashed head-on with widespread corruption within the New York police force. By refusing to accept bribes, he became a "persona non grata" for colleagues and even his superiors. After many attempts to make himself heard in the highest levels of the force, he publicly denounces what is happening and ends up becoming a target.
Very well directed by Sidney Lumet, it is worth watching this film just to see Al Pacino in one of the most interesting and profound works of his career. He was truly able to show the naive way in which Serpico thought and acted when he joined the police, and the way he gradually became disenchanted with reality. The character is going through a real crisis of conscience, and Pacino was perfectly able of put that to the screen. His purity, his unquestionable honesty and integrity, his psychological and moral ordeal make him worthy of our empathy, and that empathy holds us to the end. It is no accident that Al Pacino was nominated for the Oscar for Best Actor, and won the Golden Globe.
Technically, the film is very good. It's very, very dated... everything smells like the Seventies, Summer of Love etc., and the main character looks like a hippie from San Francisco, with a Che Guevara beard and bizarre clothes. But it's alright! Serpico was just like that and it was at that time that everything happened, so the film really had to be that way. The film uses excellent New York locations and scenery, and shows the city in all its tainted dove beauty.
It seems to me a little forgotten nowadays. Being a film entirely about integrity and honesty, Serpico may seem difficult to digest with all that Seventies ambience, but it deserves to be revisited, if only for the quality of Al Pacino's work.
Report
Giving us one of Al Pacino's best performances, Serpico brims with the frustration and anger of its protagonist, ripping open NYPD corruption like a bag of chips. Most of the characters in the movie don't matter; they are meshed together into one big, sleazy, corrupt, blob. This was Lumet's intention, as only Serpico, his friend Blair, and his colleague Green are given individual attention. No matter what he does, Serpico seems to find more corruption, and he increasingly becomes angrier until he finally snaps. The pivotal scene after getting back from the mayor's office is the best and most important part of the movie by far, where Pacino really shows his true colors as an actor, and Serpico shows his true anger. A classic like this will remain timeless, especially with all the symbolism and raw emotion it possesses.
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Absolutely. Everybody should watch this just for Al Pacino's performance alone. Another Oscar nominated, passionate and all round fantastic leading man performance from one of my favourite actors of all time.
Serpico begins with the film's protagonist being escorted to hospital with a gunshot wound to the face and as the police chiefs begin to discuss the ramifications of it being Serpico that was shot and not any other police officer, the audience begins to understand that Serpico isn't just the average cop. It was a brave decision to start the film on this note but it works brilliantly as the audience is aware for the whole film of where Serpico's actions are leading him towards and it makes for gripping viewing as even being at work places his life at risk from those whose motto is to protect and serve.
The film does look dated, the blood in the first few scenes leaves you in no date as to the film's age, but as a character study and crime drama, Serpico really is a great film that I now consider to be a classic.
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This is an interesting story (a true story at that), an insightful film about a sombre issue - police corruption. Pacino gives a great performance as the titular character. He's quite a quirky character, somewhat outspoken and dramatic at times but not always. There are some lower key scenes but that helps to build the overall picture I guess - it's not a constant action film, though certainly some scenes are somewhat reminiscent of the 'Dirty Harry' films, so I thought. A decent film, I'd recommend this, yes.
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6.5/10
Half of the movie was really works for me, all the performance was great, and Al Pacino was terrific, but the rest of the movie is just uninteresting, the dialogue is pretty complicated and kinda hard to follow, and it just make me don't care anymore on what's going on, just follow wherever they go and whatever they do but without any care at all.
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Production Company
Artists Entertainment Complex,
Produzioni De Laurentiis International Manufacturing Company
Release Date Dec 5, 1973
Duration 2 h 10 m
Rating R
Tagline Many of his fellow officers considered him the most dangerous man alive - An honest cop.
Awards
Golden Globes, USA
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Academy Awards, USA
• 2 Nominations
Valladolid International Film Festival
• 2 Wins & 3 Nominations