Film Review: Serpico
Serpico (1973)
Starring: Al Pacino, John Randolph, Jack Kehoe
Directed by: Sidney Lumet
The Hollywood version of a true story, Al Pacino gives a masterful performance as Frank Serpico, the officer who became famous for testifying against a hoarde of corrupt cops in the NYPD. It's still a gripping film, but by today's standards Serpico may be outshadowed by modern takes on the 'corrupt cop genre', like Dark Blue or Training Day. Still, if you're an Al Pacino fan, you owe it to yourself to see Serpico. I argue that the actor's individual performance here is the finest of his career, outshining Scarface, Scent of a Woman, et al.
Pacino knows the nuances of the man, and it's completely believable when you see Serpico laughing and having a good time in one scene, then becoming outraged and borderline violent in the next. The performance is even more remarkable when you consider that director Sidney Lumet filmed the movie backwards, in order to compensate Pacino's appearance throughout. Serpico starts out as a clean-shaven rookie cop in uniform, and by the end is a long haired bearded hippie working undercover.
However, this is not a 'supercop' film. Serpico certainly isn't a Dirty Harry. Serpico is a crime drama first and foremost, with a few pieces of action thrown in. Thus, it's got some pacing issues. Clocking in at 129 minutes, this is a long saga, and doesn't always flow well. At times, the story crawls along, and it feels like at least a few minutes here or there could have been chopped off and the movie wouldn't have been any worse for wear.
The only other problem is that Pacino is the shining star here. Jack Kehoe, John Randolph, and Biff McGuire all have decent turns in their parts, but for the most part everyone else is overshadowed by the lead actor. This would not be a problem if this was a shorter film, but with the longer time limit it felt as if the focus could be shifted, at least momentarily, away from Serpico. We don't learn too much about the corrupt cops and their motives, other than a few brief scenes where it's explained that police officers on the take had become commonplace and you were an outcast if you didn't play along.
Despite these niggles, Serpico is a film worth seeing at least once, if not for the true story that is still relevant today, then the incredible performance by Al Pacino.
7.5/10
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