The film Text copyright (c) Filmverdict 2006-present. Any film titles and artwork used are copyright of their respective owners.
Alongside Tony Montana and Michael Corleone, Frank Serpico is one of Al Pacino's cinematic icons. The New York cop is actually on the correct side of the law to distinguish from the aforementioned, and is a little less gung-ho than Heat's Vincent Hanna and less bloodthirsty than contemporaries such as Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry or Gene Hackman's Popeye Doyle, but jacked up enough to resemble Simon Pegg's Nicholas Angel from Hot Fuzz in an ultra devoted-to-the-cause sense. Indeed, he is a legitimate authority figure roaming the Big Apple's streets fighting crime and not encouraging malpractice - a direct contrast to his unprofessional cohorts. This is the basis of director Sidney Lumet's true story - an outspoken policeman refuses to keep hush about the traditional dishonourable conduct of the N.Y.P.D. and becomes very unpopular as a result.
Corruption is the name of the game here and even though Lumet and Pacino weave a cutesy biopic detailing Serpico's life, it never quite reaches the heights of bona fide classic status other reviewers have bestowed upon the tale. The fact that our hero cannot maintain a normal relationship (only with his Dulux-like sheepdog), has hippie counterculture tendencies with his Jesusesque look, and is a complete outcast compared to his buddies on the beat who have no hesitation in cutting corners and taking payoffs, all add to the characterisation of our protagonist but don't push a particular X factor. This is mainly because Lumet is too unflinching in his storytelling - the fact that the vast majority of the department are corrupt becomes tiresome after a while and the audience begins to crave something more than simply a testimony by a teacher's pet. However, Pacino's portrayal makes one forget about the film's obvious shortcomings in regards to narrative and puts basic plot conventions (apart from a superb opening montage) firmly in the backseat to be fully driven by fine acting. Pacino illustrates a vast range - in one scene he quite easily demonstrates the established static ballet positions to a colleague only to quickly revisit his trademark Scent of a Woman hyperbolic eloquence a few minutes later. Serpico is a multi-faceted individual and Pacino pounces on his numerous monologues and wacky mannerisms with aplomb. Just as today, Pacino can switch a character's feelings off and on in an instant and, in turn, fluctuate the views of the audience at the same rate. Lumet and Pacino's partnership peaked with the sublime Dog Day Afternoon two years later but Serpico is a strong stepping stone to future glory.
The extras
"Serpico: From Real to Reel" is a decent ten minute splurge of factoids and anecdotes. The featurette looks at the film's development, starting with Peter Maas' book and Lumet discusses how the real Frank Serpico influenced Pacino's performance and how the flick acted as a star-vehicle for the talented youngster. "Inside Serpico" is a surprising piece - the shooting schedule was rapid and editor Dede Allen had to cut film on the fly in order to make a December 1973 release date. In addition, Lumet explains how the film was shot on over a hundred locations in four out of the five New York boroughs. A short favourite moments insight, a trailer, and a photo gallery with optional commentary by Lumet complete the disc. This last feature is particularly interesting because of the story of Mikis Theodorakis, the film's composer, and how he came to working on the film after being released from a Greek prison. This also partially explains the weirdness of the score - it's mostly a jazzed up version of the music from an AXA Sun Life commercial.
The summary
A fine portrait of a true hero that is gloomily still quite relevant within our main bodies of social control around the world. Corruption is a dangerous game and Lumet touches upon the sensitive area fittingly. That Pacino kid should become a star.
Agree? Disagree? Say so in the Guestbook!