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. Whereas 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.

The Insider review

 Number 387 on the top 1000 films of all time is Michael Mann's 1999 biopic 'the Insider.'

The Insider tells the real-life story of Dr Jeffrey Wigland (Russell Crowe) - a whistleblower in the tobacco industry who alleged that his former employer - the Brown and Williamson tobacco company is chemically altering their product to make it more addictive. He takes the story to CBS producer Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino.) The two have to defend the story and themselves as Brown and Williamson aim to discredit Wigland.

To start this review, I need to address the Russell Crowe-shaped elephant in the room. While he was good as Wigland, earning a Best Actor Oscar nod, I also think he was miscast. The Insider was released in 1999 when Russell Crowe was 35. The real life Dr Wigland blew the whistle in 1996 when he was 54 - almost 20 years older than Russell Crowe. Crowe was too young for the part and not convincing as a fifty-year old no matter how much grey hair-dye they applied.

While he may have been miscast, he did well with Eric Roth's and Michael Mann's Oscar-nominated screenplay. This was a year before he featured in the film that forever defined his career - Gladiator. After his Oscar-winning role there, Crowe could never again shake off the shadow of Maximus Decimus Meridius. Thankfully, as the Insider was released a year earlier, I didn't need to worry about that here.

Al Pacino was a better choice to play Lowell Bergman. Rather than 19, there was only nine years separating him from his real-life counterpart. Of the two, he was more engaging bringing a quiet intensity and ferocity to the role. As the film portrays, Bergman struggled in defending Wigland's testimony and Pacino portrayed this righteous indignation well.

The Insider also marked a noted departure from the stylised dramas that have so defined Michael Mann's career. It is a very different film to Heat, Collateral and Public Enemies, but Mann still did it justice. He is already a director known for his meticulous attention to detail, but he and Roth took things one step further by sticking purely to the facts. If something could not have been independently verified by three separate sources, it wasn't to be included in their film. This paid off, as Mann directed a well-researched and engaging film.

Overall, the Insider was enjoyable enough. Pacino was great, but I do think Russell Crowe was miscast. An older actor should have been cast instead.

Dog Day Afternoon review

 Number 262 on the top 1000 films of all time is Sidney Lumet's 1975 biographical crime-drama 'Dog Day Afternoon.'

Sonny Wortzik (Al Pacino) and Sal Naturile (John Cazale) have plans to rob a Brooklyn bank on one hot afternoon. But their plans quickly go awry, as what should have been a simple heist descends into chaos. This is all based on a true story.

It's been a while since I've watched a film that's had me on the edge of my seat, but Dog Day Afternoon fitted the bill. It was a terrific experience with a ferocious energy that made two hours fly by. There wasn't a dull moment and you couldn't look away for a minute.

Like I say, it was based on a true story, so it was highly authentic. This was only bettered through the brilliant use of improvisation. Much of the dialogue was ad-libbed by the actors themselves which only added to the energy and realism. It's no wonder this received a Best-Film nod.

Al Pacino and John Cazale were fantastic in the lead roles. As Sonny, Al Pacino demonstrated a nervous charisma, as he desperately tried to keep control of the volatile situation. It isn't helped that he also has to look after the unpredictable Sal. John Cazale was a real talent who died far too young. All five of the films he starred in received Best Film nominations. It's just a shame that he himself never received any Oscar nods.

Set during a slow, boring day, Dog Day Afternoon was anything but. It was an excellent piece of film-making.

Donnie Brasco review

 Number 517 on the top 1000 films of all time is Mike Newell's 1997 crime-drama 'Donnie Brasco.'

Based on the true story, Donnie Brasco follows FBI agent Joseph Pistone (Johnny Depp) as he infiltrates the New York mob. He assumes the alias of Donnie Brasco and befriends Mafia hitman Benjamin "Lefty" Ruggerio (Al Pacino.) However, as Brasco grows closer with Lefty and the mob, he soon finds his professional and personal lives starting to blur.

Johnny Depp is now so well-known for playing whacky, off-the-wall characters, it's difficult to imagine him as anything else. Edward Scissorhands, Willy Wonka, the Mad Hatter, Captain Jack Sparrow...need I go on? But the eighties and nineties proved what a versatile actor he can be. Donnie Brasco is a character rule by conflict. Deeply unsatisfied with his home life, he throws himself into his undercover work, putting a strain on his already tenuous marriage. And to remain convincing to Lefty and the rest of the mobsters, Brasco has to participate in plenty of criminal activities. This creates its own array of personal dilemmas and Depp plays the conflict well.

Although, I would argue that his relationship with his wife Maggie (Anne Heche) was quite contrived. Their marriage becomes rocky as Brasco's work begins to take over. One second they are fighting and the next they were making up. This seemed forced and unnatural. It was almost like it was what writer Paul Attanasio wanted to happen instead of what should happen. But I did enjoy the little girls who played Brasco's daughters. They only had small parts, but they were played well. They become progressively more quiet, distant and withdrawn, emphasising the impact that Brasco's absent behaviour is having on them.

As for Al Pacino, I've seen him play so many grizzled, old gangsters that this was just another role for him. Don't get me wrong, he does them well, but the role of Lefty wasn't anything special. I was more impressed by Michael Madsen who played the fearsome mob boss Sonny Black. He had such an imposing presence that he was scary in every scene he was in.

Donnie Brasco was certainly an enjoyable film. And it proved that Johnny Depp can play more than the whacky, off-beat characters he's so well-known for.

Glengarry Glen Ross review

 Number 416 on the top 1000 films of all time is the drama 'Glengarry Glen Ross.'

Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name, Glengarry Glen Ross follows four real estate agents pitted against each other to make the most money. Only the top two agents will be retained and the other two will be fired. There is the office's top-seller Richard  Roma (Al Pacino,) the fallen star Shelly Duverne (Jack Lemmon,) the devious Dave Moss (Ed Harris) and the placid George Aaronow (Alan Arkin.) Rounding up the agents is the office manager John Williamson (Kevin Spacey.)

Upon starring in the film, Jack Lemmon remarked that he had never been surrounded by such acting talent before. And he was right. This film has Al Pacino to Kevin Spacey to even Alec Baldwin in a supporting role. For films adapted from the stage, you need a strong cast. There aren't any fancy set pieces or special effects. All of the audience's attention is on the cast.

I especially enjoyed Jack Lemmon. He might be better known for his screwball comedies of the fifties and the sixties, but he did the drama exceptionally well. Slowly Duverne was one of the best sellers within the office until he falls into a slump. Lemmon played him with just the right amount of vulnerability. He was sympathetic and pitiful, but not in a way that made him pathetic.

Al Pacino was also great as the erratic and the irascible Richard Roma. He spends much of the film, forcing the weak-minded James Lingk (Jonathan Pryce) into a deal that he really doesn't want to do. Just when it looks like everything is kosher, Lingk backs out causing Roma to have a veritable breakdown. Pacino acted with a manic energy that would be difficult for any actor to match.

I was less impressed with Alan Arkin and Ed Harris. They weren't necessarily bad, but their efforts paled in comparison with Lemmon and Pacino. I don't think Moss or Aaronow were particularly memorable characters. The two even seemed to blend into one at times. Surprisingly, Kevin Spacey was nothing special either. True it was a supporting performance, but it wasn't a noteworthy performance either. Alec Baldwin was good in his supporting role.

Glengarry Glenn Ross is a funny, old film. It is certainly low on spectacle, but high on acting talent especially from Al Pacino and Jack Lemmon.