Serpico (1973) Review: Endless Corruption

Sidney Lumet’s Serpico is an incredible drama about corruption that remains remarkably relevant, even after more than fifty years.

It’s a little bit depressing, then, that a film like Serpico ends up depicting a reality that still exists nowadays. Apparently, not a lot has changed in the last fifty years, not only in the United States, but all over the world. Police officers’ reputation couldn’t be worse, and instead of being perceived as lawmen or people worth rooting for, they are mostly seen as dirty and dishonest. This is exactly the problem that rookie cop Frank Serpico (legendary thespian Al Pacino) encounters in the early 70s in New York City, and the problem he tries to tackle and even solve.

Based on real events, Serpico ends up showing the viewer that anyone who tries to combat corruption and crime within a police force will end up ruining their lives. It’s not a very optimistic message, but it feels depressingly realistic, especially considering the way Frank’s peers start shunning him. The film covers a timespan of eleven years, with Frank moving from precinct to precinct, escaping from cops who want to see him dead. After all, he’s pretty much the only officer who refuses to take dirty money, which is extremely suspicious and even weird to most of his partners. He’s too clean, and thus, a potential threat to the status quo.

He’s also seen as weird because he’s not traditionally masculine. Especially because it takes place during the early 70s, the fact that he shows interest in ballet (mostly during the time he dates an actual ballet dancer) and dresses like a hippy, at one time sporting a “porn ‘stache”, makes him stand out from the other officers. Thus, he becomes an easy target for the more traditional or conservative cops, even being accused of giving a blow job to another officer in a bathroom, despite there being no evidence to support it. Homophobia is rampant, and is one of the tools the dirty cops use to try and get rid of Serpico.

Nevertheless, our protagonist is characterised as a brave and headstrong man, which makes it really hard for his nemesis to eliminate him. Pacino gives a magnificent performance, developing Frank as a complicated man, completely dedicated to the job and, most importantly, to making sure he never becomes corrupted. This logically takes a toll on his personal life, making it hard for him to maintain stable relationships. His first girlfriend, ballet dancer Leslie (Cornelia Sharpe), doesn’t last long, and the second one, nurse Laurie (Barbara Eda-Young), puts up with him longer, but eventually grows tired of his complaints and obsession with the force.

Eventually, though, Frank’s actions pay their dividends. He manages to contact his superiors and becomes involved in an investigation on the rampant corruption within the force, something that, unfortunately, gains him even more enemies. This ramps up the tension and turns Serpico into a rather intense thriller, with Frank even resorting to buying a personal gun so he can defend himself from his peers’ attacks. The film’s third act shows that being clean turns Frank into a pariah, making it clear that accepting bribes and using unnecessary force on perps is part of the status quo, despite most captains and lieutenants maintaining that their precincts are “as clean as a hound’s tooth”.

Despite being brought to the project at the last minute (after filmmaker John G. Avildsen was fired by mega-producer Dino De Laurentiis), Sidney Lumet does a magnificent job of directing Serpico. Shot mainly at real locations, the movie feels gritty and dirty and credible, showing the viewer a side of New York City that is rarely depicted in commercial cinema. With his shaggy hair and occasional moustache or beard, Pacino’s Frank looks seems tired and sometimes dirty, and the apartments, offices, hallways and city streets look lived-in and imperfect. It’s not cinéma vérité, but Lumet’s straightforward directing style and the cast’s naturalistic performances help make Serpico feel like a true-to-life cinematic experience.

Serpico is one of Lumet’s best movies, which is saying a lot, considering his illustrious and impressive cinematic career. It features Al Pacino at the height of his powers, and takes great advantage of a colourful and talented cast of secondary characters, making the world it takes place in feel realistic and full of texture. But if the film still works, it’s because it depicts a version of New York City that feels both different and similar to the one that exists today. Technology might be dated, and both hairstyles and fashion might look a bit ridiculous for contemporary standards, but Serpico’s themes of police corruption and rampant crime are sadly still relevant. More than fifty years might have passed, but the movie has lost none of its considerable potency.

Serpico (1973) is now available to watch on digital and on demand.

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