Actors: Al Pacino
Plot: An honest New York narcotics detective blows the whistle on rampant police corruption only to have his fellow police officers turn against him.
Pros: Gritty New York Locations and action, Pacino, Direction
Cons: Repetitious, Dull Romantic subplot, No memorable supporting characters
New York City never looked more dangerous, dirty, and depressing then in this true of story of a policeman's fight against police corruption. Pacino is perfectly cast as the lead and the film moves at a quick pace and kept me interested. Further, Lumet directs several good, realistic, action scenes. However, there's too much focus on Serpico's private life, and those scenes (Serpico buying a puppy, acting cute, fighting with his girlfriend, visiting his Italian parents) bring the movie to a grinding halt.
"Serpico" also suffers from an intrusive and often inappropriate soundtrack and a lack of good supporting characters. Pacino dominates the film to excess. He seems to be in every scene & has most of the dialogue - so the other actors have little to work with. Finally, police corruption - although terrible -really isn't that engaging a movie subject.
Conclusion: A solid crime film and an excellent star vehicle for Pacino but somewhat depressing. Rating ***
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