RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Check out the new RT Community
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Serpico
Serpico

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Bookmark and Share

Serpico (1973)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
92 %
Tomatometer

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted: 37

Fresh: 34

Rotten:3

Average Rating: 8/10

Consensus: Serpico is an engrossing, immediate depiction of 1973 New York and includes a turn by a young Pacino that's both ferocious and career changing.

Runtime: 2 hrs 10 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Shot on location on the crime-filled streets of New York City, Sidney Lumet's unflinching adaptation of Peter Maas's best-selling book is a rousing portrait of courage in the face of insidious... Shot on location on the crime-filled streets of New York City, Sidney Lumet's unflinching adaptation of Peter Maas's best-selling book is a rousing portrait of courage in the face of insidious corruption. This is a motif that Lumet would continue to mine in later films, including 1981's PRINCE OF THE CITY and 1997's NIGHT FALLS ON MANHATTAN. Al Pacino is forcefully real as Frank Serpico, an independent young recruit entering the police force in the late 1960s, fulfilling a childhood dream. The good old boys of the NYPD lose no time in initiating Serpico into the ways of cutting corners, forging documents, and taking payoffs from local gambling operations and narcotic rings. His refusal to take illegal protection money and his counterculture lifestyle make Serpico a target for harassment by his unified and powerful peers. Lumet hones in on the evocative details of Serpico's personal struggles and inner turmoil as his obsessive fight for truth begins to have disastrous effects on his personal life and threatens his safety. SERPICO is a stellar example of gritty '70s filmmaking, featuring another electrifying performance from Pacino. [More]

Starring: Al Pacino, John Randolph, Jack Kehoe, Biff McGuire

Starring: Al Pacino, John Randolph, Jack Kehoe, Biff McGuire, Barbara Eda-Young, Tony Roberts, Cornelia Sharpe, John Medici

Director: Sidney Lumet

Director: Sidney Lumet
Screenwriter: Waldo Salt, Norman Wexler
Producer: Martin Bregman
Composer: Mikis Theodorakis

[See More Credits]

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

Dec 3, 2002

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Serpico

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
Arrange By: Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Lumet and screenwriters Waldo Salt and Norman Wexler can't do anything but skim rapidly over the surface of their tale.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
03/06/09
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Imbued with mythic and even religious dimensions, Al Pacino's resourceful, Oscar-nominated performance takes Lumet's quinessential 1970s New York film beyond the realm of a cop-corruption drama.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
08/09/08
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Al Pacino delivers a powerful performance in this compelling biopic of a cop and a city's police force.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/09/08
Kim Newman
Empire Magazine

Memorable, thought-provoking and courageous.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
04/09/08
Jon Fortgang
Channel 4 Film

Sidney Lumet's direction adeptly combines gritty action and thought-provoking comment.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
04/09/08
Variety Staff
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Exibindo segurança e intensa presença cênica, Pacino demonstra inteligência ao criar um imenso contraste entre a futura angústia de Serpico e a maneira irreverente e jovial com que este surge nas cenas logo após formar-se como agente da Lei.

Full Review Source: Cinema em Cena | comment Comment
01/16/08
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

an acting tour de force for Al Pacino

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
07/28/07
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile

When all is said and done, Pacino is the riveting presence that makes the movie work and it is difficult to imagine any other actor in the part.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
03/01/07
TV Guide's Movie Guide

A virtuoso performance by Al Pacino and some expert location work by Sidney Lumet add up to a tour de force genre piece that transcends the supercop conventions to create a moving, engrossing portrait of Frank Serpico.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
03/01/07
Don Druker
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Another problem, these days, is Pacino's characterisation; he seems at times more like a misplaced hippy than a plainclothes cop.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment 2 Comments
06/24/06
Geoff Andrew
Time Out

One of the best films of our time, and our grandkids' time. "Serpico" is pure Pacino, powerful as hell.

Full Review Source: Moviehole | comment Comment
10/22/05
Clint Morris
Moviehole

Fantastic.

comment Comment
10/10/05
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

The movie is compelling even if the scripters have taken liberties with the facts (and book) upon which it is based.

comment Comment
06/26/05
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Very much an Al Pacino vehicle, not that this is a bad thing.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
08/24/04
Ryan Cracknell
Apollo Guide

A quintessential New York director made this quintessential New York movie in 1973, with Pacino at his best as an honest cop who turns on his crooked colleagues.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
08/05/04
David Sterritt
Christian Science Monitor

Lumet's biopic of Frank Serpico, the virtuous cop who exposed a network of graft in the NYPD, feels depressingly relevant.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
08/03/04
Benjamin Strong
Village Voice
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Pacino is a tiny terror.

comment Comment
05/31/04
Victoria Alexander
FilmsInReview.com

No review available.

comment Comment
04/16/04
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette

No review available.

comment Comment
03/26/04
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal

A true story about an honest NYC police officer dealing with police corruption.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
02/08/04
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
all

Latest News for Serpico

April 09, 2008: Total Recall: The 10 Most Corrupt Cops in Movies
In honor of David Ayer's Street Kings we did a little bad-to-worse survey of the boys who soil their blue. Some of them are hot, some of them caustic, but all of them are... More...

March 09, 2006: Trailer Bulletin: Find Me Guilty
Wondering what Vin Diesel's been up to lately? Well, he's been off making a fact-based courtroom flick with ... legendary director Sidney Lumet, that's who. Entitled "Find... More...

July 21, 2005: In Other News...Rose McGowan, Al Pacino, Daryl Hannah, and James Doohan
Ah, Tinseltown romances. Rumor has it there's a new hot couple in town, and they're bound to give TomKat, Bennifer II and Brangelina a run for their publicity-generating money.... More...

See More Topics...

Related Forums for Serpico

Click here to be the first to post a message on this forum.

See All

More DVDs

Close
Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
79%
79%
Gran Torino
30%
30%
12 Rounds
23%
23%
Confessions of a Shopa…
—
The Code
39%
39%
Inkheart

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
22%
22%
Push
12%
12%
The Unborn

More New Releases…

RT On Current TV

What’s Hot On RT

Deconstructing Harry

Deconstructing Harry

Pt. 3: Cuaron's darker Prisoner of Azkaban

Best Mockumentaries

Best Mockumentaries

From Borat to Spinal Tap, this one goes to 11

Humpday Clip

Humpday Clip

An exclusive peek at the indie comedy!

Half-Blood Prince

Half-Blood Prince

How good is the 6th Harry Potter?

Other News

Close
  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Weekly Ketchup: T.J. Hooker Film in Development
40
  • Warners Shortens Green Lantern Wishlist Source: Hollywood Reporter
150
  • Harold Ramis Talks Ghostbusters 3 Source: MakingOf.com
50
  • Spider-Man 4 Gets Its Third Writer Source: Latino Review
60
  • Warners Wins Favorable Ruling in Superman Case Source: Variety
20
  • Remo Williams Rides Again Source: Risky Biz
10
  • Mortal Kombat 3 Filming in September? Source: Slashfilm
82
  • MacGruber Gets a Director Source: Variety
39
  • PG-13 Turns 25 Source: VideoETA
8
  • Weekly Ketchup: Universal Takes on Asteroids
92
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Deconstructing Harry, Day 3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
111
  • Deconstructing Harry, Day 1: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
67
  • Deconstructing Harry, Day 2: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
54
  • Total Recall: Mock Docs That Rock
53
  • Tomatometer Watch: How Good is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince?
53
  • Critics Consensus: Bruno is Certified Fresh
44
  • Five Favorite Films with Kathryn Bigelow
39
  • RT on DVD: Knowing, Push, The Unborn Unleashed
28
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Brüno Struts To The Top Spot
23
  • Five Favourite Films with Jaime Winstone
20
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • RT Interview: Director Carlos Cuaron on Rudo and Cursi
0
  • RT Interview: Tony Scott on The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
10
  • Cannes 2009: RT Interview - Sally Hawkins on We Want Sex
2
  • RT Interview: Tilda Swinton on Julia
5
  • Hollywood Legend Debbie Reynolds Reflects On her Life in Showbiz
10
  • Exclusive: McG Talks Terminator Salvation
24
  • Georgia Groome - Fresh Talent on RT
5
  • RT Interview: Reading The Reader with Stephen Daldry
11
  • RT Interview: Oscar Nominee Melissa Leo
7
  • Carey Mulligan - Fresh Talent on RT
7
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Serpico at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Serpico at IGN

Fresh Links

Featured
Point-Counterpoint: Bruno
Point-Counterpoint: Bruno External Link

MSN's David Fear and Frank Paiva go head to head discussing the pros and cons of Bruno star Sacha Baron Cohen.

The New Cult Canon
The New Cult Canon External Link

The AV Club's Scott Tobias takes a second look at David Lynch's cult classic, Lost Highway.

Tom Cruise's 10 Best Roles
Tom Cruise's 10 Best Roles External Link

TIME takes us on a 25-year long journey into the superstar's career, giving us a look at his 10 best roles.

A Baywatch Comedy?
A Baywatch Comedy? External Link

BuzzSugar reports on Paramount's plans to rebirth the iconic TV show as a comedy film.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.