Serpico

Genre: police drama
Director: Sidney Lumet
Release: 1974
Studio: Artists Entertainment Complex, De Laurentiis International Manufacturing Company SpA – Paramount Pictures
Rating: R
MBiS score: 8.6/10


The Hand That Wouldn’t Wash The Other


When Frank ‘Paco’ Serpico (Al Pacino), one of New York City’s finest, is rushed to the hospital after a police raid that went amiss, the news travels fast and worries many. ‘Do you think he was shot by another cop?’, asks one officer at the precinct. ‘I know six who’d love to’, answers another. But how can one cop cause such resentment among his colleagues? To find out, see Sidney Lumet’s SERPICO. With John Randolph (Sidney Green), Jack Kehoe (Tom Keough), Biff McGuire (Captain McClain), Barbara Eda-Young (Laurie), Cornelia Sharpe (Leslie Land), Tony Roberts (Bob Blair), Allan Rich (D.A. Tauber), Norman Ornellas (Don Rubello), Ed Grover (Detective Lombardo), Gene Gross (Captain Tolkin), James Tolkin (Lieutenant Steiger), Lewis J. Stadlen (Jerry Berman), John Lehne (Gilbert) and M. Emmet Walsh (Gallagher). Screenplay by Waldo Salt and Norman Wexler.

When I chose to watch SERPICO, I expected it to be a bitter pill to swallow but, in its early stages, it uses drama and humour equally effectively to depict Frank’s rookie days at the NYPD and his life as a young adult settling down on his own, meeting people and kicking up his heels. At one point – when he is assigned to the Bureau of Criminal Identification – I even wondered how this sprightly young man would become the most hated cop in the force but, sure enough, his story will take a sharp turn after his promotion to detective work and, right then and there, SERPICO morphs into a nightmarish but wholly necessary movie experience. Though less exciting than THE FRENCH CONNECTION, another film on brutal law enforcement in the Big Apple, it is more harrowing and surely more important as a social statement about police work and systemic corruption.

Although it required a sizable and competent cast, SERPICO revolves around one character and one dominant actor. As Frank, Al Pacino makes you forget how small a man he really is by projecting a huge aura that overshadows everything and everybody else. He exhibits great range and natural talent as a funny and intelligent guy whose ideas will clash mightily with those of his more conservative colleagues and who will suffer greatly because of it. Tony Roberts also shines in a minor role but, again, it’s Pacino’s bravura performance that you’ll remember most of all.

The movie’s screenplay, based on real events and a book by Peter Maas, is both complex and varied, its dramatic flow interrupted by odd occurrences and colourful dialogues that leave no room for daintiness (‘You already have one foot in the shit. Put the other one in.’). Sidney Lumet’s tight direction keeps things moving along at a brisk pace while gritty cinematography by Arthur J. Ornitz and a solid musical score by Mikis Theodorakis capture the beauty and ugliness of life in Gotham. Try as I may, I can’t find any flaws in this production.

Still not convinced? Then allow me one final pitch… my three reasons to recommend SERPICO. (1) This film weaves a powerful tale about a police force turned upside down and the whistle-blower extraordinaire who tried to right it. (2) It remains an eloquent testament to the greatness of American cinema in the 70s. (3) It features Al Pacino in one of the hottest acting streaks you could ever imagine. Think about it: from 1972 to 1975, this superb thespian starred in THE GODFATHER, SCARECROW, SERPICO, THE GODFATHER II and DOG DAY AFTERNOON. A genuine tour de force, don’t you agree?


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