Serpico

Just earlier this week the legendary actor, Al Pacino, celebrated his 80th birthday and, coincidentally, a few days before this I watched the highly acclaimed 1973 Serpico which featured the star one year after his breakout performance in The Godfather. Directed by Sidney Lumet, Serpico depicts the real life events of New York cop Frank Serpico (Pacino) who blew the whistle on police corruption during the early 1970s while risking everything in the process.

As you can see, the film was released a few years after the events depicted but miraculously the production went uninterrupted (given that police assisted in the production) and it has become something of a classic today. This is in many thanks to Pacino's iconic performance in the leading role that dominates nearly every scene but this isn't the angry Pacino that has become synonymous with the man in the latter half of his career. Here we see him furious and at the end of his tether but in a different way where he just wants to live a life as an honest cop. Watching it today, it's fascinating seeing a much younger Pacino and a very dirty 1970s New York but how does the film work as a whole and is it one I can recommend?

Sidney Lumet had already established himself as a director to watch with the likes of 12 Angry Men from 1957, and he'd go on to work again with Pacino two years later in Dog Day Afternoon, and these have all brought a fantastic sense of realism to the picture and this is no exception. Shot on glorious celluloid in the run-down streets of New York, Serpico has that cold and noisy feel films of this era do so well, perfectly suiting the unease felt by our lead as he goes from precinct to precinct hoping to settle in. In a way it reminded me of the claustrophobia experienced in Uncut Gems and for that the story never once dragged at any moment. 

It is thrilling to watch but I wouldn't quite call the film perfect. On an atmospheric level it is truly great to watch and Lumet makes full use of the city to tell his story but I wonder if the story would have benefited from exploring the events that followed after the film ends. Of course this couldn't be done at the time because there was barely any years between the events of the story and the start of production. Without spoilers, the film ends with text telling us what followed and it just feels like a cop-out to a certain degree. 'What happened next', 'was it worth it for the characters' and 'why did x happen afterwards' were the questions on my mind, and I wanted the film to show this to make the story have that satisfying conclusion. 

Serpic is a great a film and I'm glad I finally watched it. Dog Day Afternoon might have the edge between the two when it comes to recommending these but I can't deny the talents that are Pacino and Lumet. Some consider the 1970s to be the best decade for cinema and it wouldn't be the same without these two. I can't say I'll ever rewatch it but if you're a fan of the actor or a cinema lover then you should surely watch this.