★ 9 / 10
An honest cop. Who would believe that? Serpico
John Chard
An honest cop. Who would believe that? Serpico is directed by Sidney Lumet and adapted to screenplay by Waldo Salt and Norman Wexler from Peter Maas’ biography…
An honest cop. Who would believe that?
Serpico is directed by Sidney Lumet and adapted to screenplay by Waldo Salt and Norman Wexler from Peter Maas’ biography of NYPD officer Frank Serpico who stood up to expose rife corruption in the force. It stars Al Pacino, John Randolph, Jack Kehoe, Biff McGuire, Bernard Barrow, Nathan George and Tony Roberts. Music is by Mikis Theodorakis and Giacomo Puccini and cinematography by Arthur J. Ornitz..
Great story telling meets a first class acting performance in Lumet’s searing movie. Frank Serpico (Pacino), a legend to us mere mortals out on the street, but the most hated man on the NYPD, so much so he almost paid for his sense of what’s right and wrong with his life.
Picture follows Frank through his integration on the force and onto the build up of corruption he comes across. All the time we are also getting an insight into the man himself, his life and loves outside of work, with Lumet and Pacino making sure Frank is not painted as a saintly perfectionist, there is no halo above his head, he has flaws like everybody else. New York is expertly painted as a raw and grubby place, the hustle and bustle a nuisance, and the seamy underside where crims and dirty coppers dwell makes you feel like taking a shower. It proves to be a riveting character study and a thought provoking expose at the same time, while ultimately it proves to be a touching experience come the culmination of the drama.
Excellent. 9/10
★ 9 / 10
Pacino Shines in Classic Grim & Gritty Crime Biopic
dtb
I'd been wanting to see SERPICO for some time; this real-life crime drama based on Peter Maas' nonfiction bestseller about an honest cop fighting corruption in…
I'd been wanting to see SERPICO for some time; this real-life crime drama based on Peter Maas' nonfiction bestseller about an honest cop fighting corruption in the NYPD was one of the few grim-and-gritty New York crime dramas that my older brother didn't take me to see when I was a kid! :-) (I should explain that my brother, 9 years my senior, used to take me to the kind of movies he wanted to see -- films like TAXI DRIVER, REPORT TO THE COMMISSIONER, etc. Fortunately, I developed a taste for them as well, though our mother didn't think they were really appropriate for a girl as young as I was then. :-) No wonder this film helped young Al Pacino's then-rising star (he was fresh off THE GODFATHER when he began filming SERPICO) to soar to the stratosphere, complete with an Oscar nomination. Pacino's earnest intensity fuses Frank Serpico's disparate qualities into a spellbinding performance. The guy is a bundle of contradictions, the kind of man who could charm you, move you, and drive you crazy at the same time: a nice Catholic boy who can't commit to any of the devoted women in his life; an honest, downright rigid moralist who's also a free spirit known as "Paco" to his friends and lovers; and an undercover cop with detective aspirations whose hippie-like appearance rankled his superiors and fellow officers even as it helped him blend in on assignments. Pacino's riveting performance carries the film, with fine support by John Randolph, Tony Roberts, M. Emmet Walsh, Barbara eda-Young and Cornelia Sharpe, not to mention memorable uncredited turns by F. Murray Abraham, Judd Hirsch, Kenneth McMillan, and Tony LoBianco, among others. Sidney Lumet's taut direction of the script by Waldo Salt and Norman Wexler does Maas' source material proud, as well as taking advantage of evocative NYC locations (just try getting this kind of atmosphere in Canada, I dare you! :-). The sparing use of simple yet haunting music by Mikis Theodorakis sets the tone well. The end result: one of the best films of the 1970s and beyond. Rent the DVD to see some fascinating extras about the making of the film and the filmmakers' experiences with Frank Serpico himself, including interviews with Lumet and producer Martin Bregman (no Pacino, alas).
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Thank You, FREEMAN !!