Al Pacino's Iconic Cop Drama Serpico Lands on Paramount+
The legendary 1973 crime thriller that earned Al Pacino his first Oscar nomination arrives on streaming, bringing the gritty story of police corruption back to modern audiences.
The 1970s produced some of cinema's most brutal crime dramas. Movies like Taxi Driver, Death Wish, and Mean Streets captured New York's raw essence so vividly that audiences could practically taste the city's grime. Charles Bronson, Robert De Niro, and Harvey Keitel delivered career-defining performances that still resonate today.
Now one of that era's most celebrated films has found a new streaming home. Serpico, the 1973 masterpiece starring Al Pacino, began streaming on Paramount+ this January.
The Real Story Behind the Badge
Pacino portrays Frank Serpico, a principled New York police officer who refuses to participate in departmental corruption. The film draws from actual events, though it streamlines certain details for dramatic effect. Sidney Lumet directed this adaptation, which hit theaters on December 5, 1973.
The cast includes John Randolph, Tony Roberts, Jack Kehoe, Barbara Eda-Young, and Cornelia Sharpe. Following Pacino's breakthrough in The Godfather, this role earned him his first Best Actor Oscar nomination. The film generated $29 mn worldwide against a modest $3 mn budget.
The story follows Frank Serpico, an idealistic NYC cop who won't accept bribes like his colleagues. His integrity isolates him from fellow officers and puts him in dangerous situations. When supervisors ignore his corruption reports, Serpico takes his allegations public, triggering the Knapp Commission investigation while painting a target on his back.
Pacino's Initial Reluctance
Surprisingly, Pacino almost passed on this now-iconic role. The actor doubted his ability to portray the real Frank Serpico convincingly. Everything changed when he met the man himself.
In a 2019 GQ interview, Pacino explained: "Before I met the person that I was supposed to do, I didn't want to play him. It was an odd thing. Not because he was negative or positive, but I just felt I couldn't be him. But when I met Frank, I knew there was something I could paint there. There was something that I could sort of serve. He had an earring, long hair, and was strange-looking. But he had a look in his eye that I thought, there it is. I got to know him very well and hung with him."
Frank Serpico himself praised Pacino's performance, saying the actor "played me better than I played myself." High praise from the man who lived the story.