Serpico review

 Number 521 on the top 1000 films of all time is the 1973 crime-drama Serpico.

Based on a true story, Serpico tells the tale of real-life NYPD Frank Serpico (Al Pacino) and his struggles to expose corruption in the police department.

Serpico certainly isn't the first whistleblowing film Al Pacino would star in. he also appeared in the 1997 film The Insider where he plays a TV producer helping to expose corruption in the tobacco industry where the Insider was slow-paced with not much happening, Serpico was far more interesting.

We are thrust straight into the action along with Al Pacino as we see him being rushed into hospital after being shot in the head. Who shot him? We don't know. Maybe one of his corrupt colleagues who he tried exposing. Yet it remains obvious that Serpico is the only straight cop in a severely bent cop stop.

He soon comes to odds with his fellow police as he refuses to take bribes or follow the crooked rules of his colleagues. Serpico goes onto embrace the countercultural attitudes of the time further alienating himself form the other coppers especially high command who are as bent as the rest.

As always Al Pacino was impressive. He was great as the dark and brooding Frank Serpico. The seventies was definitely a great decade for Pacino. He starred in the Godfather films, Dog Day Afternoon and Serpico.

Due to my previous experience with whistle-blowing films, I was not expecting to enjoy Serpico. I'm glad to say I was wrong.