Al Pacino filmed Serpico between Godfather 1 and 2 in the beginning stages of what would be a twenty year seven film run at coming home empty handed at the Academy Awards. (He wasn't even nominated for Scarface which is pretty shocking.) He would finally win Best Actor for Scent of a Woman which is a shame because that film isn't nearly as good as his previous works. Though looking back at the nominees those years, he had pretty stiff competition, so it's hard to say that he really got screwed over. Since his win in 1992, he hasn't been nominated once though it seems like he could have gotten a couple Supporting Actor nods for at least Donnie Brasco, Heat or The Insider. As of this writing, Pacino is 71. I'd just love to see him have one more knock out role to get him back on center stage because lately he's been in a bunch of crap. It's almost shocking to see the quality of films he and Robert De Niro have been in the past fifteen years; some of those films are just abysmal.
On to the actual movie...
"Frank, let's face it, who can trust a cop that won't take money?"
Serpico tells the true story of Frank Serpico, an honest cop who struggled to fight corruption in the New York Police Department. It is a classic one man verses the system standing up for justice type of story. Whistle blowing can be a dangerous thing, especially against cops for obvious reasons. Serpico was an outcast among his peers, many of them who literally wanted him dead.
I loved watching Pacino do his thing here. It helps that Serpico was such a fascinating individual, not just for what he did but also for who he was. One of the themes of the film is his growing disappointment with the world around him; everything and everyone seems to let him down and he brings it home with him too. It isn't surprising that he went through two divorces while working at the NYPD; the stress of the job was tearing him and his relationships apart. People think it's easy to just do something, to do the job, to do the right thing, but they don't take into account how it might affect them personally. Pacino is great here, displaying a wide range of emotion and actions.
Serpico is a gritty movie and as people like to say, "keeps it real." I couldn't give you a straight answer to what that means, but I'm pretty sure Serpico meets that criteria. The film doesn't feel dated at all, primarily because its themes and story will always seem relevant; police corruption, justice and doing the right thing. The film was directed by Sidney Lumet, who had an impressive career with films such as 12 Angry Men, Dog Day Afternoon, Network and The Verdict. One of the director's ongoing themes in his films were of men in crisis and justice. In that regard, 12 Angry Men and Serpico are pretty similar.
There are little touches I liked in the film like how time sort of just passes. It shows in Serpico's facial hair. He begins as a clean shaven baby face rookie (Al Pacino looks exactly like he did in the beginning of The Godfather in his military uniform) and as the film progresses he grows more hair; first a mustache, then a goatee and by the end a full blown beard. Also, he buys a puppy in the beginning of the film and we see the dog grow as well.
I couldn't stop laughing at that scene where his commanding officer accuses him of being gay. "You were sucking his cock, weren't you?" The confused look on Al Pacino's face is priceless. I'll finish this post on that high note.
Grade: A-
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