Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

1973 was a very strong year for movies. I say it's the best year in movies produced in the modern Hollywood system up to 1973. It's not the best year of the decade (1976 is just fabulous for excellent movies), but with the likes of American Graffiti, The Sting, and this movie, Serpico, it's hard not to get excited about the year of film in 1973. I'll say off the bat that Serpico is an excellent movie. I can hardly call that a surprise given the amount of talent behind the film. The story, based off real-life events, is very engaging and its brutally honest. Just like Mean Streets showed, living in New York City was not exactly all that safe. While Mean Streets covered everyday life in a New York community, this film covers the police and more specifically, police corruption. The film shows that pretty much every cop in the NYPD were corrupt to some degree whether it's racketeering or paid murder, but one man decided to show honesty and integrity….and nearly pays with his life. This is a very powerful theme and it shows why the movie can be labeled as inspiring. It's just one of the few things that make this movie a must-see.This picture takes place in New York City in the late 1960's-early 1970's. Frank Serpico's (Al Pacino) profession is a NYPD officer, and his motto is to become a good cop. The problem is that no one else wants to be a good cop. He refuses to extort money from the local criminals unlike his colleagues. Because of that, he is alienated from everyone else on the workforce. He is constantly put in life-threatening scenarios, and nothing seems to get done when he goes to the highest authorities. He refuses to be like everyone, despite all the danger, in hopes that one day corruption will end.This movie relies upon some heavy acting by Al Pacino, and he certainly rose to the task. This movie also proved that Pacino was capable of becoming a powerful leading man. He impressed everyone in The Godfather, but Pacino proves he is no fluke with his incredibly powerful, believable role as Frank Serpico. I really thought Pacino was Frank every time he appeared on screen. I love how Pacino can make himself disappear in roles so easily, and that's why he is one of the greatest actor's of all-time. I also loved the physical transformation Pacino takes throughout the film. He gradually grows lots of hair and a beard, and it's a very noticeable transformation. I thought that was really cool to point out.This film was directed by the great Sidney Lumet. He directed the 1957 classic 12 Angry Men and that movie kept him on the map. He, once again, brought his master direction techniques to this film. He was able to get the best out of Pacino and was able to give the film more of a personality. He definitely tackled the issue of police corruption very well. Police officers actually said what happened in this film was an accurate description of what really went on during the police force, and that's still a very scary thought.I also liked the location authenticity of the movie. This movie was filmed in actual locations of the city, and it felt like I was in 1973 New York. It's interesting to see how these movies featuring New York in the 70's proves how much the city changed with compared to 2016. That being said, I always love being in New York; past and present. The film was filmed in every neighborhood except for Staten Island.Overall, I really, really liked Serpico. I would rank this film as my favorite film of 1973. I cannot think of a complaint to give the film. It feature solid, fluid direction by Sidney Lumet. The acting, led by the legendary Al Pacino, is perfect. I loved the story and the way the tricky issues were handled. It was shocking to see how bad police corruption got. So bad that they were willing to kill Frank Serpico just to keep his silence. That scene where there was a drug bust and his fellow detectives put him into the line of fire was very saddening and powerful to watch. I also liked the music, which was composed by Mikis Theodorakis. This movie is a classic and I can easily recommend it to those who love good movies. If you want to know why Al Pacino is such a big movie star, just check out Serpico.My Grade: A+

Lets be honest, a movie like this would have an insanely limited theatrical release and meet with negative reviews today. It has really gotten to that point.There is no action. The film is all about plot and characters and has a strong morality behind it. Modern viewers are going to find it boring.But, back in the day it was amazing.Back in the day movies like this could get made and people would spend money to actually see them. People would rave about them. Where the heck has society gone? Not only that but Pacino was allowed to act without given a screamed monologue...not that hearing Pacino scream and yell is a bad thing. I mean, I would feel disappointed if I paid to see one of his movies without it.But this is his early work, this was when he was developing himself as an actor and actually acting like different people, not just playing Al Pacino.So we get to see what Pacino could do before he was delegated to only play Pacino, which alone is a breath of fresh air.But we also get to see a problem with the police departments that we are still grappling with today, a problem that is even more in the headlines and one that wasn't solved despite Serpico's involvement.If nothing else it makes this film all the more illuminating.It's a movie frozen in time and, unfortunately, possibly doomed to be relevant far into the future.

I understand they wanted to make a film about the well known whistle blower. But is this a story that really needed to be told? Is this Serpico guy an interesting character? Is his story interesting in cinematic terms? Apparently it's not. Nothing about this film is interesting, and the only reason I didn't fall asleep while watching it is the fact that whenever Pacino is on screen he manages to infuse the scene with energy. Any other actor would have made this film virtually unwatchable.OK, so it was big story. Cops took bribe on a regular basis. But as I said, a big news story does not necessarily make a good cinematic story. There is nothing remarkable about Serpico's private or professional life. Nor was there any real suspense or mystery regarding his attempts to combat corruption. Scene after scene we see a bunch of events take place, but it's hard to tell why we are watching them, apart from the fact that they supposedly took place in real life. Real life does not necessarily make a good story, tough. The conflict between Serpico and the establishment does not come across as a story that can keep the audience interested. Same thing with Serpico's private life. We never learn enough about Serpico or his love interests (despite the film's considerable length) in order to care. As an audience I want to be immersed in the story, and not be reduced to a bystander that is asked to witness a sequence of events.A total waste of time.

"What's this for? For bein' an honest cop? Hmm? Or for being stupid enough to get shot in the face? You tell them that they can shove it."If you were alive during the 70's then there is no question in my mind that your favorite actor was Al Pacino. He ruled during that decade. His performance in Serpico playing the title character, an honest cop who refused to participate in the corruptive system that surrounded the NY police department, is considered by many to be his best work, which is saying a lot when you take into account his other films during that four year span: both Godfather films, Dog Day Afternoon, and Scarecrow. He was nominated for an Oscar for his performances during four straight years and surprisingly came out empty handed. It wouldn't be until his eight nomination in 1993 for his lead performance in Scent of a Woman that he would finally receive his dues (a category in which he was also nominated for Glengarry Glen Ross). It's astonishing to look back at his career and see how many great performances he delivered over time, but especially during the early 70's. Serpico is a film that must be seen primarily for his energetic performance, which foretold what an illustrious career he would have ahead of him. It didn't hurt that the great Sidney Lumet was directing this true story based on the biographical book written by Peter Maas. His choices for location all over the different NY boroughs gave the film a sense of authenticity for this genre film. Lumet was interested in focusing on this character and portraying the emotional effect that the corruptive system had on him in the most realistic way possible and he succeeded. It's been more than 40 years since Serpico has been released and its themes remain relevant to this day.The film opens with a bloodied officer being rushed to a hospital in the back of a police car. We find out that he's an undercover cop named Frank Serpico (Al Pacino) and he has been shot in the face. When one of the police inspector's receives the news his immediate reaction is that a fellow officer must have shot him. The next scene is a close-up shot of Serpico's eyes that are still moving and then the film takes us to the 60's where we see a younger version of him graduating as a police officer from the Academy. From the very beginning we can tell that Serpico is self motivated and honest. He aspires to become a detective, but his idealistic world comes crumbling down when he witnesses his fellow officers accepting bribes from gamblers and drug dealers. They offer him money, but he doesn't accept, which in turns makes him new enemies. His next move is to enlist the help of a trusted officer named Bob Blair (Tony Roberts) who sets him up with higher ranked officers to whom he can report his partners' corruptive behavior, but all they end up doing is transferring him to new divisions. Their promises of cleaning up the department go nowhere and Frank's increasing frustration begins to take a toll on his relationship with his fiancée Laurie (Barbara Eda-Young) as several years go by with the same results. With very few friends and a lot of enemies, Frank knows that his days as a police officer are numbered, but he remains hopeful that someday the truth will be revealed. Lumet expertly manages to portray the passage of time in a rather convincing manner here without resorting to spoon feeding the audience. The editing is handled in superb fashion and Al Pacino's physical transformation is a great indicator of how distrusting of the system he's becoming. He is the driving force of the movie and the main reason why the film succeeds. He gets to shine in the subtle and quiet moments such as when he's simply enjoying his back yard listening to opera and starting a conversation with his next door neighbor, or during the powerful emotional scenes where he takes all his anger and frustration out on his fiancée or a criminal he just busted in the streets. Serpico shaped the genre and the way some action films were being handled by delivering a more authentic and true to life film that added resonance to the subject that was being handled. The material was handled seriously by the screenwriters who delivered an honest adaptation and weren't there simply to entertain audiences, but to deliver a message. That is what has made this such a memorable and thought provoking film to this date. Al Pacino is the only actor who really gets to stand out here because the entire focus is on him and as time passes the rest of the characters come in and out of his life, but he is reason enough to check the film out. http://estebueno10.blogspot.com/