1973 | R | 2h 10m | Biography, Crime, Drama
Before the world wide web helped whistleblowers spread their revelations, films captured their stories. “Serpico” (1973) is one such movie, focusing on corruption in law enforcement. It was adapted for the big screen by author and journalist Peter Mass’s book of the same title about the famed former New York Police Department (NYPD) officer and the subject of the film, Frank Serpico (Al Pacino). The movie was directed by Sidney Lumet.
The film opens with Serpico being driven in the back of a New York City patrol car on a dark and rainy night. He’s bleeding from a gaping wound on the side of his face. As he fades in and out of consciousness, Serpico is transported to a local hospital. Because of Serpico’s whistleblowing campaign, Chief Sidney Green (John Randolph) suspects fellow cops may have been involved with the shooting and immediately orders a 24-hour police guard on Serpico’s hospital room.
After this dramatic scene, we then travel back years in time and find a younger Serpico graduating from the NYPD Academy, much to the delight of his close-knit Italian family. He is not only a man who is in touch with the streets, but he also has a strong sense of morality and justice.
After being assigned to a precinct, Serpico begins to rub some of his colleagues the wrong way. For instance, when he and another officer see three men committing a crime one night, Serpico manages to catch one of them after a foot chase. Back at the precinct, the suspect is beaten harshly but refuses to give up information on his cohorts.
Serpico tries a more subtle approach with the suspect that works and ends up catching the two other suspects. But since Serpico didn’t join in on the beating and used methods not approved by the other cops, he is threatened with punishment for breaking protocols.
Later, Serpico applies for a special division within the department called the Bureau of Criminal Identification, which allows him to wear civilian clothes. His plainclothes disguises are so convincing that he gets shot at by uniformed officers while apprehending a burglary suspect.
The more time Serpico spends with the department, the more crime and misconduct he witnesses being committed by his brethren cops. Although Serpico reports the corruption to superiors, no repercussions follow for the offending officers.
As a result, Serpico transfers to different precincts to escape the corruption, only to find more of it instead. When Serpico tells confidant Captain McClain (Biff McGuire) that he refused a bribe, the latter pulls some strings and gets the idealistic cop assigned to a precinct in the Bronx that is supposedly “clean as a hound’s tooth.” When Serpico shows up there for duty, he immediately runs into fellow plainclothes officer Tom Keough (Jack Kehoe—yes, a similar last name as the character), who insists on Serpico going with him on a ride to “get a feel” for things. Shortly thereafter, Serpico witnesses Keough accepting a bribe from a suspect to receive lighter charges.
Seeing that Serpico is resistant to going along with the corruption, Keough pairs him up with Rubello (Norman Ornellas), another corrupt cop, who tries to convince Serpico to join a money collection racket they have going on.
A Man Stands Tall
This is one of those movies that use its lengthy running time to great effect—gradually ratcheting up the tension. Pacino plays the role of Serpico with great subtlety and you can see the inner turmoil and disillusionment that the character feels as time goes on. At first, he turns a blind eye to some of the misconduct but as it becomes more pervasive, he decides to take action.The rest of the cast was likewise excellent, including Barbara Eda-Young as Laurie, Serpico’s girlfriend whom he confides in.
“Serpico” is a well-directed and superbly acted film that, interestingly, features minimal music, which only seems to heighten its more impactful scenes. It is a gripping depiction of a man who put his life at risk while refusing to compromise his sense of justice and integrity. I can see why it is regarded as one of the greatest performances of Al Pacino’s illustrious acting career. It’s also nice to note that due to the real Frank Serpico’s struggles, the NYPD has been changed for the better over time.
