• Sidney Lumet’s Serpico is a superb crime procedural and a rich character study—the achievement here may be even greater for Pacino than it is for Lumet
  • Pacino is just in the middle of one of the great five year stretches for an actor. Panic in Needle Park in 1971, The Godfather in 1972, this and Scarecrow in 1973, The Godfather Part II and Dog Day Afternoon in 1975… wow

Pacino carries the film- he’s in nearly every frame of the 130 minutes—there are a dozen scenes where he gets to erupt and flesh out this rich character. But this isn’t an over-the-top Devil’s Advocate Pacino either- here’s a ton of gradation here.

  • Pacino carries the film- he’s in nearly every frame of the 130 minutes—there are a dozen scenes where he gets to erupt and flesh out this rich character. But this isn’t an over-the-top Devil’s Advocate Pacino either- here’s a ton of gradation here.
  • Lumet has three really stunning uses of split diopter in the first 30 minutes (ok, the first two are stunning, the third with the girl in the classroom is just meh)- really nice shots—but then not used again the rest of the film. One is with the cop answering the phone in the first right of the frame, the second, the best shot in the film—is one with the “patrolman of the month” foreground left and Pacino’s Serpico in the background right. Lumet is editorializing here with this shot. Genius—because this is Serpico’s first day as a cop, and just after this scene this “patrolman of the month” is going to teach Serpico the first lesson in getting a kickback.

Lumet has three really stunning uses of split diopter in the first 30 minutes (ok, the first two are stunning, the third with the girl in the classroom is just meh)- really nice shots—but then not used again the rest of the film.

the best shot in the film—is one with the “patrolman of the month” foreground left and Pacino’s Serpico in the background right. Lumet is editorializing here with this shot. Genius—because this is Serpico’s first day as a cop, and just after this scene this “patrolman of the month” is going to teach Serpico the first lesson in getting a kickback.

  • The entire opening is strong- Lumet uses parallel editing—mixing Serpico’s graduation from the academy with the bullet to the face hospital scene. After the editing sequence, we pick up with Serpico’s journey from leaving the graduation and starting out as a cop
  • A really weak musical score—hurts the film
  • Brick by brick—Lumet builds the procedural, detailing these dirty cops (acting like the Mafia almost really- an organized crime syndicate) and Pacino the character. The facial hair evolves as the film goes, his alter ego “Paco”- the tea, the earrings, the love of the ballet, opera, hats
  • a standout blow-up volcanic scene is the argument with Tony Roberts—complex, tragic—
  • 1970’s New York City is a rich character in the film—location shooting and you feel the impact and authenticity of it. Lumet is a New Yorker- countless locations used throughout
  • A talented ensemble cast as well- Emmett Walsh, F. Murray Abraham (a decade before they’d be together again in Scarface).
  • A massive hit in 1973
  • Recommend/Highly Recommend border