"I am not on. I don't take money"
-Frank Serpico
Corruption is not something new to us. It is rampant. Behind closed doors, on the streets,anything ranging from pocket change to wad-filled suitcases are passed over to make the hand of law as slippery as possible. While many feel that it is better to pay than to fight,there are some who see the need to oppose and change. Frank Serpico was one of them.
Al Pacino brings quietness to Serpico's character. A quietness that masks a growing discontent and anger against a system that has not only allowed corruption to thrive, but is also unwilling to let him come out and speak the truth. A very measured and intense performance.
Sidney Lumet works the film backwards by showing a wounded Serpico being taken to the hospital and then showcasing the sequence of events that led to that state. This film is shot more like a docu-drama with very little extra dramatic elements added for effect. The instances of corruption seen and Frank's reactions to them are as you would expect to see in day to day life as opposed to on a giant movie screen. The realism is a USP of this film. You are able to see the walls closing in on Frank as he finds himself increasingly alienated and frustrated in a cess pool of corrupt cops and is moved from department to department because no one wants to work with him.
'Serpico' is a fine whistle-blower genre film where the inner turmoil of the protagonist is very well explored and chronicled. Above all, it pays tribute to a man who chose to keep up his integrity in the face of absolute zero support from anyone. Even his own.
