Serpico (1973)
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A New York City police officer faces internal corruption and personal danger as he attempts to expose the rot within his own department.
The story
Following the 1971 shooting of NYPD Detective Frank Serpico, the film explores his journey through the department's systemic corruption. Graduating in 1960 with ideals for community relations, Serpico quickly encounters a culture of bribery and misconduct. As he refuses to participate in illegal payoffs and attempts to alert his superiors, he becomes increasingly isolated and endangered. The narrative follows his struggle to maintain his integrity while facing retaliation from his peers and the pressures of a high-stakes investigation into the department's practices.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After being shot in the face in 1971, the film uses flashbacks to detail Frank Serpico's career starting in 1960. Initially an idealistic officer, Serpico is forced to witness and eventually refuse to participate in widespread police corruption. His refusal leads to him being ostracized and threatened by his colleagues. After a failed attempt to get help from the mayor's office, he begins to suffer from depression and strained personal relationships. He eventually takes his case to the media and the district attorney. Following a series of retaliations from his superiors, he is assigned to a dangerous narcotics squad where he is shot. After a long recovery, he testifies before the Knapp Commission. He eventually resigns from the NYPD in 1972, receives the Medal of Honor, and moves to Switzerland.
- First release year
- 1973
- Runtime (minutes)
- 130
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Sidney Lumet
- Writers
- Waldo Salt · screenplay; Norman Wexler · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Al Pacino · Frank Serpico; John Randolph · Sidney Green; Jack Kehoe · Tom Keough; Biff McGuire · Captain McClain; Barbara Eda-Young · Laurie; Cornelia Sharpe · Leslie; Tony Roberts · Bob Blair; Allan Rich · D.A. Tauber
- Genres
- biographical; crime; drama
- Themes
- corruption; integrity; isolation
- Tone and mood
- gritty; realistic
- Premise and plot tags
- police; whistleblower; biography
- Source material / true-story basis
- book written by Peter Maas
- Reception
- The film was a critical and commercial success, though it faced criticism from police officers for its portrayal of the department.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 93% · scale: percentage · review count: 55; Metacritic · score: 83 · scale: 100 · review count: 16
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Globe Award · Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama · win; Writers Guild of America Award · Best Adapted Screenplay · win; Academy Awards · Best Actor · nomination; Academy Awards · Best Adapted Screenplay · nomination; BAFTA Awards · Best Film Music · nomination; BAFTA Awards · Best Direction · nomination; Grammy Award · Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media · nomination; Golden Globe Award · Best Motion Picture – Drama · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was shot in reverse to accommodate the actor's facial hair.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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