The Top 100 Project

Sidney Lumet and Al Pacino were a terrific combination in the mid-70's and their Serpico is an effectively gritty motion picture, just like their Dog Day Afternoon would be 2 years later. Pacino is nearly at his best in this, even though he feels more like a character actor in a huge cast of character actors than he does a movie star. The real-life Frank Serpico was an absolutist who risked deadly retribution for refusing to take pay-offs. Pacino is nothing if not authentic here, so he's playing a maddening man, an idealist who just will not be pragmatic. Yes, rampant corruption in the police department is bad, but the system has been rotten forever. There aren't easy answers about how to fix it. In any case though, this deliberately-paced cop drama is interesting and well-made. So stick by your principles and don't work harder to collect bribes than at doing your actual job as we offer you our 516th dash of Have You Ever Seen. Our sponsor is Sparkplug Coffee. If a one-time 20% discount appeals to you, use ou