SerpicoFocusing the whole feature i.e. of more than 2 hours only on a single character needs content and enough material to feed the audience which they easily provide with gripping screenplay to not let them wander off the screen even for a frame. Sidney Lemut still needs some better work on his execution and editing but that barely factors in here as the adaptation is way too smart and ahead of its time. Al Pacino is literally the heart of it; he beats fast and hard that helps it pumping and keeping the viewers alive for this glorious experience. Serpico breeds power, corruption, rage and politics on screen and successfully delivers it to the audience communicating through stellar performances like never before.

Al Pacino wasn't quite on fire as an actor when he made this film but he sure lit things up afterward. Fresh off his role as Michael Corleone in "The Godfather", Pacino broke new ground as an honest cop taking on the entire New York City Police Department in this unflinching look at police corruption in the five boroughs. You have to admire what the real life Frank Serpico must have gone through, I'm sure the picture only touched the surface of what he must have faced among fellow cops and superiors. More than anything, the story reinforced the idea that after just so long banging one's head against a wall, is there anyone at all you can really trust to get a message across. After all was said and done, Serpico got his gold shield at a point when it really didn't matter to him any more. Disillusioned, Serpico retired from the police force on June 15, 1972 and spent a decade recuperating and living in Switzerland and the Netherlands before returning to the States. Born in 1936, Frank Serpico turned eighty earlier this year as I write this.

Serpico is an easy film to appreciate given its attention to detail and gripping narrative. Films based around people's lives usually follow the same formula, in that we see the protagonist grow and gradually change given the conflict they are forced to face. Serpico is no different, but its understanding of its protagonist and excellent attempts to capture the subtle corruption of the New York police are what sets it apart. Serpico himself is the ideal main character for this film. His only crime is his refusal to take bribes and for that he is viewed by his colleagues as worse that the criminals they bring in. He puts his neck on the line in order to come forward and call out the corruption in the force when he could easily have sunk into the background.Frank Serpico is the type of role that Pacino was born to play. A man with strong moral values who is pushed to his very limits by the task at hand. By placing himself in harm's way for what he believes in he becomes an easy figure to route for and his plight is all the more gripping for that. Pacino always brought an intensity and believability to his early roles and here his fits of rage or expressions of disbelief feel genuine. This was during Pacino's superb run in the 1970's (which included The Godfather Part 1 & 2, Scarecrow, Dog Day Afternoon and …And Justice For All) where he was giving Oscar worthy performances every time, and it's no different here as he really does inhabit the role. He is aptly backed by a fine supporting cast, filled with actors who bring realism and weight to their characters.The film covers 12 years in Serpico's life and it transitions perfectly. There are no big effects or title cards, we just see Serpico with more of a beard and looking slightly more dishevelled. It's a very effective approach and adds to the subtle realism that the film is aiming for. We also see his relationships fall apart, which can often feel like pieces of forced melodrama in Biopics and simply added to broaden the film. Yet they are fantastically portrayed, with his ever increasing anxiety and obsession with his job destroying any chance he had at building a family. There is an excellent scene at a party where he asks his girlfriend (Cornelia Sharpe) not to tell anyone he's a cop given people's reactions, perhaps sowing the seeds that he needs to help change the police force.We are given a deep look a seedy and uncertain New York, filled with criminals who can bribe their way free and cops who are a happy to turn a blind eye as long as they get a cut. Once Frank becomes known for speaking out on corruption the film masterfully crafts a sense of unease whenever he is beside his colleagues. Pacino's standout scene is when he arrests a criminal and his fellow cops are willing to let him go, instead he flies into a fit of rage and almost assaults the crook in front of his equals. You can truly feel Frank's rage and protectiveness given the circumstance. The dialogue cracks throughout whether Frank is discussing his job with his girlfriend or trying to find a way to speak out without becoming a figurehead. The film also has an intelligent sense of humour, with many of the exasperated lines drawing a laugh simply for the way in which they are delivered.Until its ending, Serpico succeeds in creating a distinct sense of tension and unease. Every officer is untrustworthy, every line spoken has to been keenly considered and every raid could mean death. The stakes in the film are high. We want Frank to succeed because we know he's a good man and all he wants is the ability to be an honest cop without fearing the repercussions. Sidney Lumet is an incredibly underrated director as it's his deliberately basic and well-paced direction that acts as one of the films strongest points. He knows what the film needs and when. Above all this is a film about a person and it is Pacino who comes out on top, he crafts a performance with such honesty and gravitas that it comfortably holds up in comparison with his other great work from the same period.

More than forty years after it was made, the name Serpico is still synonymous with heroism. The multiple award winner features arguably one of the most successful actors and directors to ever grace the silver screen, but was Frank Serpico really a hero? Frank Serpico (Al Pacino) wanted nothing more than to be a police officer in New York, but once he gets there, he finds that things aren't as he'd hoped. The department is full of corrupt cops, but Serpico wants no part of it. He has no intention of turning them in, but when he won't take the money, everyone just assumes he already did, making Frank a target that has to act in order to save his own life. At first this film seems like just another police tale, that's been blown way out of portion by Hollywood, so why is it considered one of the top 100 films ever made? The combination of Al Pacino's infectious personality and Sidney Lumet's methodical and innovative story telling. At the time Serpico was made, Al Pacino was the brightest star in Hollywood and for good reason, he just has a way of getting people behind whatever character and project he's associated with. As for Lumet, he is known as an innovative director for simply trying things that everyone had available to them. Lumet uses different angles and close ups to make things more intense and exciting, as well as methodically going deeper into the story. It's this combination that made Serpico much more than simply another cop movie and a film that should be seen by all movie lovers.