Serpico (1973)

Director:

Sidney Lumet

Writers:

Peter Maas (book)
Waldo Salt (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

14 March 1974 (Netherlands)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Many of his fellow officers considered him the most dangerous man alive - An honest cop.

Plot:

The true story about an honest New York cop who blew the whistle on rampant corruption in the force only to have his comrades turn against him.

Plot Keywords:

Undercover | Corruption | 1960s | Hippie | Policeman

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Al Pacino	...	Officer Frank Serpico
John Randolph	...	Chief Sidney Green
Jack Kehoe	...	Tom Keough
Biff McGuire	...	Capt. Insp. McClain
Barbara Eda-Young	...	Laurie
Cornelia Sharpe	...	Leslie Lane
Tony Roberts	...	Bob Blair
John Medici	...	Pasquale
Allan Rich	...	Dist. Atty. Herman Tauber
Norman Ornellas	...	Don Rubello
Edward Grover	...	Insp. Lombardo (as Ed Grover)
Albert Henderson	...	Peluce (as Al Henderson)
Hank Garrett	...	Malone
Damien Leake	...	Joey
Joseph Bova	...	Potts (as Joe Bova)

Also Known As:

Serpico (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Sérpico (Spain) [es]
Serpico (Greece) [el]
Serpico (Denmark) [da]
Serpico (Brazil) [pt]
Serpico - gatans tiger (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Serpico - kadun tiikeri (Finland) (alternative spelling) [fi]
Serpiko (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]

Runtime:

129 min | Spain:113 min

Country:

Italy | USA

Language:

English | Spanish | Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Germany:12 (re-rating) (2006) | West Germany:18 (original rating) | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:12 | South Korea:15 | New Zealand:R16 | Brazil:12 | Argentina:18 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-15 (DVD rating) | Norway:18 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Artists Entertainment Complex

Trivia:

John G. Avildsen was originally to direct, but was replaced just before filming due to differences with the producer.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: As Frank Serpico is driving across the bridge in his Studebaker Lark to report for his first posting as a patrolman in 1960, many of the cars in the background are models from the mid-1960's to early 1970's. (This is true in many of the early street scenes as well.)

Quotes:

[Given a detective's gold badge]
Frank Serpico: What's this for? For bein' an honest cop? Hmm? Or for being stupid enough to get shot in the face? You tell them that they can shove it.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of 'Charlie's Angels' (2004) (TV)

Serpico

A perfect, true to life film based on the true exploits of a young police officer named Frank Serpico. Serpico was an officer in a time when political corruption was rampant and many of his brethren were found "on the take." The true story is brought to the screen under the superb leadership and direction of Sidney Lumet and the brilliant performance of Al Pacino as Serpico. Serpico was said to be known for his eccentricity and Pacino plays it up every step of the way, from the hairy beard to the earrings; he immerses himself into the character. This is the first of two great pairings with Lumet and Pacino. They know character. You see it here and you see it in 'Dog Day Afternoon." They know the streets. Lumet is a avid filmmaker of "New York-style films." Pacino walks the beat in his hobo outfits and long hair as if he's a hippie, not a cop. Although an eccentric, Serpico cannot be bought and certainly cannot be had, by anyone... cop or crook Pacino was Oscar nominated, but lost to Jack Lemmon for his performance in "Save the Tiger." The film was also nominated for it's taut screenplay, based on the Peter Maas book of the same title.