Serpico

Name: Serpico
Genre: Biography, Drama, Crime
Released: December 5, 1973
Duration: 130 min
Rating: 83
Cast: Al Pacino, John Randolph

1973

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Universal acclaim based on 16 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 151 Ratings

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8.4

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8.4	User Score Universal acclaim based on 151 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

Paramount Pictures | Release Date: December 5, 1973 | R

Starring: Al Pacino, John Randolph

Summary: Sidney Lumet's 1973 film stars Al Pacino as New York cop Frank Serpico.

Director: Sidney Lumet

Genre(s): Biography, Drama, Crime

Rating: R

Runtime: 130 min

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Critic Reviews

100

The Guardian Peter Bradshaw

This is a movie about disguise, denial, alienation and the terrible toll taken on the people who make a stand that their fearful or resentful contemporaries see as odd, eccentric or foolhardy – but will later sheepishly admit were entirely right. Read full review

100

David Sterritt

A quintessential New York director made this quintessential New York movie in 1973, with Pacino at his best. Read full review

Vincent Canby

It is galvanizing because of Al Pacino's splendid performance in the title role and because of the tremendous intensity that Mr. Lumet brings to this sort of subject. (Review of Original Release) Read full review

The Telegraph Rachel Ward

A courageous and gritty police exposé. [11 Oct 2014, p.37]

Staff (Not credited)

Pacino dominates the entire film. His inner personal torment is vividly detailed. (Review of Original Release) Read full review

Benjamin Strong

Ought to look pretty dated. Instead, Sidney Lumet's biopic of Frank Serpico, the virtuous cop who exposed a network of graft in the NYPD, feels depressingly relevant. Read full review

Jay Cocks

Wonderful potential, and wasted. Serpico has some brutal surface flash and an acetylene performance by Al Pacino in the title role, but its energy is used to dodge all the questions it should have raised and answered. Read full review

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User Reviews

alejandro970

Jan 16, 2021

The hyperactive but brilliant Al Pacino in one of the roles that put him under the spotlight: the real drama of an idealistic policeman and his brave and tireless fight alone against police corruption. A classic in the 70s automatic.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

MarkG.

May 18, 2007

A classic movie, certainly among the top five preformances in Pacino's career, not given full recognition due to the belief that its a 'dated movie' but a rivetting piece of work all the same. Brilliant screenplay and strong preformance from the support cast also. The A classic movie, certainly among the top five preformances in Pacino's career, not given full recognition due to the belief that its a 'dated movie' but a rivetting piece of work all the same. Brilliant screenplay and strong preformance from the support cast also. The desperation of Frank Serpico as a man trying to do right in a world full of greed and corruption is expressed brilliantly. Simply a great great film.… Expand

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FilipeNeto

Apr 16, 2020

This film is based on real facts. Set in the USA in the early Seventies, it tells the story of Frank Serpico, an honest young man who became a policeman and dreamed of becoming a detective, but who clashed head-on with widespread corruption within the New York police force. By refusing toThis film is based on real facts. Set in the USA in the early Seventies, it tells the story of Frank Serpico, an honest young man who became a policeman and dreamed of becoming a detective, but who clashed head-on with widespread corruption within the New York police force. By refusing to accept bribes, he became a "persona non grata" for colleagues and even his superiors. After many attempts to make himself heard in the highest levels of the force, he publicly denounces what is happening and ends up becoming a target.

Very well directed by Sidney Lumet, it is worth watching this film just to see Al Pacino in one of the most interesting and profound works of his career. He was truly able to show the naive way in which Serpico thought and acted when he joined the police, and the way he gradually became disenchanted with reality. The character is going through a real crisis of conscience, and Pacino was perfectly able of put that to the screen. His purity, his unquestionable honesty and integrity, his psychological and moral ordeal make him worthy of our empathy, and that empathy holds us to the end. It is no accident that Al Pacino was nominated for the Oscar for Best Actor, and won the Golden Globe.

Technically, the film is very good. It's very, very dated... everything smells like the Seventies, Summer of Love etc., and the main character looks like a hippie from San Francisco, with a Che Guevara beard and bizarre clothes. But it's alright! Serpico was just like that and it was at that time that everything happened, so the film really had to be that way. The film uses excellent New York locations and scenery, and shows the city in all its tainted dove beauty.

It seems to me a little forgotten nowadays. Being a film entirely about integrity and honesty, Serpico may seem difficult to digest with all that Seventies ambience, but it deserves to be revisited, if only for the quality of Al Pacino's work.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

Tss5078

Sep 6, 2015

More than forty years after it was made, the name Serpico is still synonymous with heroism. The multiple award winner features arguably one of the most successful actors and directors to ever grace the silver screen, but was Frank Serpico really a hero? Frank Serpico (Al Pacino) wantedMore than forty years after it was made, the name Serpico is still synonymous with heroism. The multiple award winner features arguably one of the most successful actors and directors to ever grace the silver screen, but was Frank Serpico really a hero? Frank Serpico (Al Pacino) wanted nothing more than to be a police officer in New York, but once he gets there, he finds that things aren't as he'd hoped. The department is full of corrupt cops, but Serpico wants no part of it. He has no intention of turning them in, but when he won't take the money, everyone just assumes he already did, making Frank a target that has to act in order to save his own life. At first this film seems like just another police tale, that's been blown way out of portion by Hollywood, so why is it considered one of the top 100 films ever made? The combination of Al Pacino's infectious personality and Sidney Lumet's methodical and innovative story telling. At the time Serpico was made, Al Pacino was the brightest star in Hollywood and for good reason, he just has a way of getting people behind whatever character and project he's associated with. As for Lumet, he is known as an innovative director for simply trying things that everyone had available to them. Lumet uses different angles and close ups to make things more intense and exciting, as well as methodically going deeper into the story. It's this combination that made Serpico much more than simply another cop movie and a film that should be seen by all movie lovers.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

timone

Apr 3, 2019

To look at how young Al Pacino is, this is the one I have in mind. Serpico is about an NYPD officer Frank Serpico played by the really young Al Pacino, who went undercover to expose corruption in the police force. It's based on an actual person, Frank Serpico and it's based on anTo look at how young Al Pacino is, this is the one I have in mind. Serpico is about an NYPD officer Frank Serpico played by the really young Al Pacino, who went undercover to expose corruption in the police force. It's based on an actual person, Frank Serpico and it's based on an biographical book by Peter Maas. Al Pacino did a really good job portraying Frank Serpico, even the story is faithful to the original material. I would say more about Serpico but I just can't because there's really nothing more to talk about it. It's a good old biographical crime film.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

amheretojudge

Mar 3, 2018

it just gets dirtier..

Serpico Focusing the whole feature i.e. of more than 2 hours only on a single character needs content and enough material to feed the audience which they easily provide with gripping screenplay to not let them wander off the screen even for a frame. Sidney Lemutit just gets dirtier..

Serpico

Focusing the whole feature i.e. of more than 2 hours only on a single character needs content and enough material to feed the audience which they easily provide with gripping screenplay to not let them wander off the screen even for a frame. Sidney Lemut still needs some better work on his execution and editing but that barely factors in here as the adaptation is way too smart and ahead of its time. Al Pacino is literally the heart of it; he beats fast and hard that helps it pumping and keeping the viewers alive for this glorious experience. Serpico breeds power, corruption, rage and politics on screen and successfully delivers it to the audience communicating through stellar performances like never before.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Habibiehakim

Jul 28, 2021

6.5/10
Half of the movie was really works for me, all the performance was great, and Al Pacino was terrific, but the rest of the movie is just uninteresting, the dialogue is pretty complicated and kinda hard to follow, and it just make me don't care anymore on what's going on, just follow6.5/10
Half of the movie was really works for me, all the performance was great, and Al Pacino was terrific, but the rest of the movie is just uninteresting, the dialogue is pretty complicated and kinda hard to follow, and it just make me don't care anymore on what's going on, just follow wherever they go and whatever they do but without any care at all.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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