Review of Serpico (1973) by Thomas B — 13 May 2013
Every performance like this from Pacino's heyday only highlights to me what a slump he has been on since "Heat" (with the exception of "Angels in America" and one I feel like I'm forgetting).
He's absolutely magnetic here and his Frank Serpico is such a well-written and likeable character that he easily carries the film. Some negative reviews have focused on how he never feels like a fully realized cop in the movie, but I think that's kind of the point.
He feels like the odd man out. He feels like the rookie who went out on his own. He's the outsider and that's what makes him easy to root for. Other reviews felt that the movie doesn't go far enough with its central theme, which I find fairly ridiculous (and I also think that time has already been the judge on that).
"Serpico" continues to be one of the foremost movies that gets into the psyche and price of what it means to be "a good cop" and it's no wonder that Pacino made his name on roles like this one.
This review of Serpico (1973) was written by Thomas B on 13 May 2013.
Serpico has generally received very positive reviews.
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