Saturday, January 9, 2016

The Review: Serpico


I just watched the movie Serpico starring Al Pacino. I have heard of this film most of my life usually as a joke when a cop went against the force or had morals so I figured that that was what this was about. I had no idea that it was based off of a true story though. Frank Serpico has wanted to be a cop his entire life. He finally gets that chance in New York in the late 60's to early 70's and it is brutal. Almost every cop is dirty. There is no one he can really talk to because they are dirty or it puts his life in danger. The only person he can vent to is his wife and she cant deal with it because it lasts for years and makes him drink and depressed. Pacino is amazing in this.


An entire commission is eventually created to deal with police corruption because of Serpico. This movie shows the answer to the question I always have when police do something wrong. “Why doesn't one of them stand up?” Because he can get killed, that's why! Here is a quote from the actual guy that I really like. “A policeman's first obligation is to be responsible to the needs of the community he serves. The problem is that the atmosphere does not yet exist in which an honest police officer can act without fear of ridicule or reprisal from fellow officers. We create an atmosphere in which the honest officer fears the dishonest officer, and not the other way around.”

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