I have no problem watching old movies and enjoy tons of them...
But this one just sucks. I am NOT a fan of young Al Pacino at all. I find him annoying to be honest. This movie sucks and I want my time back. Oh well.
I gave it a fair shot, but everything about it is boring. I am also not a fan of Godfather or Scarface. I just think Al Pacino sucks. I prefer his newer movies. He is a much better actor than his younger self.
I'm 55mins in and came here to see if anyone else thinks its *beep* haha trying to stick it out though
shareThis site is bass ackwards to the ratings. Good is rated bad, and bad is rated good. The whole rating system is messed up on this site.
Rated R Horror movies are better, no matter the argument.
I wouldn't say the movie sucks. But I also don't believe the film is this 10/10 classic. At times, the plot sort of dragged.
Pacino's star power allowed this film to survive history imo. Any other actor, and this movie becomes forgotten, ala Prince of the City.
I give this film a 6/10 overall
My take is that some of this movie's positive ratings stem from the era it was released in. Police corruption was endemic nearly everywhere, New York was just a glaring example of it. The 20-something boomers were anti-authority and anti-police, as well as idealistic, and Serpico was one of them -- young, idealistic, and into the groovy now. This probably boosts its ratings by 20% for its intended audience.
That being said, it was also directed by Sidney Lumet and Pacino was an up and coming actor who had just made it big in the Godfather, plus I think from a general filmmaking perspective it's not a bad film -- the cinematography is great, Pacino's performance is intense without Pacino playing Pacino so much as he did in later films.
That being said, it's not the kind of film that appeals to modern audiences. It lacks the action oriented punch of later street/cop films nor does it try to make Serpico's struggle against corruption into a thriller with an obvious evil mastermind.
Since New York City is the biggest metropolis here in the United States, there are glaring examples of everything, good and bad, including corruption. It's true that Frank Serpico did expose the glaring corruption in NYC's police department, in real life, and he became quite unpopular, as a result, and even almost lost his life as a result.
shareI thought the same. Gave it a good try but felt bored the whole time. Same thing with godfather, boring as well, I didnt even continue watching godfather past part 1. Scarface was alright, but its not a movie I can watch often, only every several years.
Have you seen Dog Day Afternoon? I rate it higher than serpico and didnt feel bored.
"Dog Day Afternoon" was good, too. I felt that Al Pacino was wonderful in both "Dog Day Afternoon" and "Serpico".
shareI could give Serpico another chance, but I remember feeling so bored last time I watched it. But I was entertained by Dog Day Afternoon. Al Pacinos acting in Serpico was fine to me as well, but the story and movie itself just bored me.
What is your favorite Al Pacino movie?
I liked both "Dog Day Afternoon" and "Serpico". I, too, was entertained by "Dog Day Afternoon", but "Serpico" was better for the fact that Serpico himself exposed the corruption in the NYC police department. I felt sorry for the fact that Serpico himself got shot in the face during a nasty narcotics arrest, and almost lost his life as a result.
shareIt's boring when people say "I want my time back". To me it shows how unoriginal they are. They have to repeat things they've seen on other people say like some parrot just because they think it was clever or cool. It's neither one. Get some of your own material. So boring.
shareThe New-York-Cop Pacino movie you need to see is "Cruising" (1980)
share I finally saw this movie. I was a little kid when it came out and it wasn't something I'd get to see.
It's a film that I've had on my "must see" list for years and I wasn't disappointed. I thought it was excellent. It wasn't non-stop action but I don't like endless car chases and shoot outs anyway.
The subject matter was serious and I was drawn into Serpico's frustration and yes, fear. The guy had strong principles. Hard to turn down all that money that floated up to him.
I loved it whenever he said, "I don't take money."
"I loved it whenever he said, "I don't take money."
Me, too.
I’m aware this post is 7 years old, but I’ll be damned if it didn’t still piss me off. Haha.
I think Serpico is awesome, The Godfather is one of the greatest and most important films in history…and they are both absolute classics.
You are obviously entitled to your opinion, but this really seems to be one of those “hate it cause everyone else loves it” posts.
Your hatred of Pacino is laughable as well. The dude is a legend.
Massively disagree with you O.P on this one.
I don't think it's a 10/10 film like say the other Lumet/Pacino team up Dog Day Afternoon, which is definitely a 10/10 film. Serpico does drag in places, like the scenes which deals with his relationships with Leslie and Laurie or anything outside of the police corruption stuff. It's not a action packed police corruption story, it's a lot more grounded and downbeat and it takes it's time telling you how bad it gets for Serpico.
I give it a 8/10, I think Pacino's performance is probably top 2 of his career maybe just behind Godfather 2. And I like that it doesn't go for the Hollywood ending and they don't make Serpico into a saint. Plus Pacino all hippy out is pretty cool.
This movie really does suck, but I wouldnt blame it on Pacino. Movies based on real events have a rough start in the first place, and in this story, not much happens at all. It can be summarized in like 2 or 3 sentences. "So the police force was very corrupt and some officers he was with got him into a dangerous situation and didnt help".
90 minutes movie? no thx.
Plus we know very well cops can be corrupt. Maybe in 1973 this movie was an eye opener (...but I doubt it), but in this movie, neither the message nor execution particularly hit you now.
... I dont think people who praise this movie have really seen many 70s movies cause this this one is bottom tier.