Serpico

"Many of his fellow officers considered him the most dangerous man alive - an honest cop."

1973 2h 9m EN

🙌

7.5

BANGER

🔥

93%

CERTIFIED FRESH

💯

METACRITIC

⭐

7.7

IMDB

★7.5TMDB · 2,292🍅93%Rotten Tomatoes●83Metacritic★7.7IMDB · 141,485

CrimeDramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

New York cop Frank Serpico blows the whistle on the rampant corruption in the force only to have his comrades turn against him.

“Many of his fellow officers considered him the most dangerous man alive - an honest cop.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Al Pacino
Officer Frank Serpico
John Randolph
Sidney Green
Jack Kehoe
Tom Keough
Biff McGuire
Captain McClain
Barbara Eda-Young
Laurie
Cornelia Sharpe
Leslie Lane
Tony Roberts
Bob Blair
John Medici
Pasquale

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Sidney Lumet
Writers: Waldo Salt, Norman Wexler
Languages: English, Italian, Spanish
Countries: United States of America, Italy

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $3.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 8.8× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

53 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, Italian, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Italy.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Sidney Lumet, shot by Arthur J. Ornitz. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Míkis Theodorakis. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Dede Allen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Sidney Lumet directs. Arthur J. Ornitz behind the camera. Míkis Theodorakis scores. Dede Allen cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America, Italy. Dialogue in English, Italian, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $3.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Made its money back 8.8× over at the box office.
353 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, Italian, Spanish.
5International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Italy.
6Directed by Sidney Lumet, shot by Arthur J. Ornitz. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Míkis Theodorakis. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Dede Allen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Al Pacino and John Randolph and Jack Kehoe carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Many of his fellow officers considered him the most dangerous man alive - an honest cop.".
11IMDB entry: tt0070666 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 30 themes, including "new york city", "corruption", "hippie", "police".

The technical file

Cinematography: Arthur J. Ornitz
Original score: Míkis Theodorakis
Editing: Dede Allen
Production design: Charles Bailey
Costume design: Anna Hill Johnstone
Makeup / hair: Reginald Tackley
Runtime: 129 min · 2h 9m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $3,500,000
Box office: $30,800,000
Return: 880% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Serpico (1973)
Rotten Tomatoes: 93% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 83/100
IMDB rating: 7.7/10 · 141,485 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

Nominated for 2 Oscars. 8 wins & 13 nominations total

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Sidney Lumet

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2014-01-27
★ 9/10
An honest cop. Who would believe that? Serpico is directed by Sidney Lumet and adapted to screenplay by Waldo Salt and Norman Wexler from Peter Maas’ biography of NYPD officer Frank Serpico who stood up to expose rife corruption in the force. It stars Al Pacino, John Randolph, Jack Kehoe, Biff McGuire, Bernard Barrow, Nathan George and Tony Roberts. Music is by Mikis Theodorakis and Giacomo Puccini and cinematography by Arthur J. Ornitz.. Great story telling meets a first class acting performance in Lumet’s searing movie. Frank Serpico (Pacino), a legend to us mere mortals out on the street, but the most hated man on the NYPD, so much so he almost paid for his sense of what’s right and wrong with his life. Picture follows Frank through his integration on the force and onto the build up of corruption he comes across. All the time we are also getting an insight into the man himself, his life and loves outside of work, with Lumet and Pacino making sure Frank is not painted as a saintly perfectionist, there is no halo above his head, he has flaws like everybody else. New York is expertly painted as a raw and grubby place, the hustle and bustle a nuisance, and the seamy underside where crims and dirty coppers dwell makes you feel like taking a shower. It proves to be a riveting character study and a thought provoking expose at the same time, while ultimately it proves to be a touching experience come the culmination of the drama. Excellent. 9/10

Production companies