Serpico Movie Information

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Movie Information

Overall Rank: 584

Average Rating: 3/4

# of Ratings: 207

Theatrical Release Date: 12/05/1973

Language: English

Genre: Biography, Crime

MPAA Rating: R

Director: Sidney Lumet

Actors: Al Pacino, John Randolph, Jack Kehoe, Biff McGuire, Cornelia Sharpe, Tony Roberts

Plot: Frank Serpico is an honest cop in a corrupt force. How long can he stay clean? And will other cops trust him or want him out of the way? Al Pacino is... Frank Serpico.

Indyfreak - wrote on 11/08/2018

SERPICO demonstrates how doing the right thing doesn't always win you friends, medals, or even keep you safe. Sometimes, doing the greater good makes you a target. Al Pacino's portrayal of an honest cop tormented by paranoia and sickened by corruption is riveting and often unsettling. New York City appears grimy and crime riddled while the police are dirty and sometimes even worse than the crooks they arrest. It takes not just bravery but guts for men like Frank Serpico to buck the status quo and do the right thing. There are repetitive plot beats and characters come and go. But Al Pacino's performance is one of his best.

Chris Kavan - wrote on 12/31/2013

Classic Al Pacino and classic 70s crime drama (based on a true story). While it may not have reached the heights of Sidney Lumet's 12 Angry Men or Network, it is right up there with Dog Day Afternoon in turning a true story into a compelling film. An honest cop fights a corrupt system - and that system, grit and dirt and all, is presented in an excellent manner. Fans of the genre should not miss out.

tecnoandre - wrote on 12/19/2011

Directed by Sidney Lumet. It is based on the true story of New York City policeman Frank Serpico, who went undercover to expose the corruption of his fellow officers, after being pushed to the brink at first by their distrust and later by the threats and intimidation they leveled against him. It stars Al Pacino, John Randolph and Tony Roberts.Great film, amazing performance by Al PAcino.

cinegeek.de
Producer

Zynismus

cinegeek.de - wrote on 04/18/2016

Our Daily Free Stream: Sidney Lumet - Serpico. Al Pacino scheint nach längerer Zeit wieder in einem interessanten Film über die Piraten aus Somalia mitzuwirken. Deshalb gibts heute Serpico! - Erlebt ein junger Schauspieler seinen ersten Erfolg, ist es in der Regel so, dass Hollywood ihn in eine Position stossen will, die Ruhm und Geld verspricht. Die Karriere des jungen Al Pacino aber verlief anders. Nach seinem Durchbruch mit dem immer noch grössten Mafia Thriller aller Zeiten, suchte er nach Rollen, die eine Entwicklung versprachen. Sidney Lumet, seit fast 20 Jahre ein Aussenseiter (der nicht in Hollywood arbeitete) konnte ihm diese Rollen anbieten. Inspiriert durch die wahre Geschichte des New Yorker Polizisten Frank Serpico, schrieben Waldo Salt und Norman Wexler ein Drehbuch, …

Gabe
Producer

Good story, but just doesn't seem quite plausible

Gabe - wrote on 09/08/2014

Yes, I know this is based on a true story despite what you may think when reading the title of this review.

Not a bad film, but definitely dated. There's something about "cop"films from, really any time other than the present that always seem dated to me. i can go back and watch The Godfather (1972) the year before this was made or Bonnie and Clyde (1967) and feel like I'm watching a great film. I don't ever think about when it was made. I think that's because the story revolves around the "bad guys." But, take In the Heat of the Night (1967), it was released the same year as Bonnie and Clyde and yet, because it is a story told from the police's point of view, in modern times, I just don't think it works as well.

I have a theory, my theory goes something like this: because of …

Yojimbo
Movie God

"Serpico" by Yojimbo

Yojimbo - wrote on 03/09/2012

Al Pacino stars in a true life story of an honest cop who is stonewalled by his superiors and hated by his peers when he tries to expose the institutionalized corruption of the police department. Pacino puts in a typically strong performance as a man fighting alone against the system, and he and Lumet bring a gritty believability to the proceedings. The supporting characters seemed to flit in and out of the story at random intervals however, which means that Pacino never really gets to share any relationships or dialogue of any real depth leaving it feeling a little dry and uninvolving. I also felt that it concentrated a little too much on his domestic situation which is clearly far less interesting than the action on the streets which combined with the painfully misplaced and corny …