Made in between the two Godfather epics, Serpico is a more quiet and sedate movie compared to the movies it is made either side of. It is also a superb film that deserves mentioned in the same breath as those movies, as well as Dog Day Afternoon (another Pacino/Lumet/Bregman collaboration), The Deer Hunter and Apocalypse Now when celebrating the brilliance of 70's American cinema. Serpico is both plot driven and character driven, features one of the best performances from Al Pacino, two decades before the bluster and loudness that accompanies the actor in most of his performances today, a magnificent script full of detail, character and events as well as assured direction from Sidney Lumet, who deserves as much credit for his work as Coppola and Scorsese got during the same period. It has taken me years to actually get around to watching this film, having heard it about for years when ever I hear about films that I love like The Godfather and Dog Day Afternoon, and after a lot of anticipation, I wasn't disappointed, this is a masterful film. It takes it time to say what it needs to be said, but it is never dull and has a lot to love about it. Pacino's performance is so assured, it mixes the internal broodiness of someone like Michael Corleone with the anger of Tony Montana, but stays on the right side of acting, never going overboard like he does in De Palma's epic. His is strong, willing and frequently looks like a bum in the movie, albeit a cool early 70's bum. The pain etched into his face throughout most of the second half of the film and the complexity of his performance throughout is ample enough reason why I, and of course many others, do regard him as one of the finest working actors in the history of the medium. Sure he can be blustering, but in a film like this he is so full of passion it simply makes one want to applaud him throughout.
The film is not a fast paced one, admittedly, but neither does it take forever to go anywhere, it takes its time, doesn't rush, and lures the audience into it's story. We are pulled in to the plight of Frank Serpico, the cops who are corrupt who make his life hell, the equally hellish situation he finds himself in when he turns those cops in to his almost catastrophic shooting which is where we find him when the film begins. The film is an indicative reason why many critics and cinephiles regard the 70's (certainly the early to mid 70's) as the best period of American cinema. A movie like Serpico is indicative of what American filmmakers did so right during that decade. They told stories, stories that were gritty, violent, tragic, but most of all, they were stories that could suck you in and be provocative. Serpico is one of those movies. It is a best for Pacino and a best for the decade.
The film is not a fast paced one, admittedly, but neither does it take forever to go anywhere, it takes its time, doesn't rush, and lures the audience into it's story. We are pulled in to the plight of Frank Serpico, the cops who are corrupt who make his life hell, the equally hellish situation he finds himself in when he turns those cops in to his almost catastrophic shooting which is where we find him when the film begins. The film is an indicative reason why many critics and cinephiles regard the 70's (certainly the early to mid 70's) as the best period of American cinema. A movie like Serpico is indicative of what American filmmakers did so right during that decade. They told stories, stories that were gritty, violent, tragic, but most of all, they were stories that could suck you in and be provocative. Serpico is one of those movies. It is a best for Pacino and a best for the decade.