Serpico

What I've come to expect from a popular 70s Hollywood films. It's a bit dark, it's a bit gritty, it's mostly a genre film bogged down by a lot of pointless drama and an excessive runtime. If it works, I'm sure it's all the more impressive, if it doesn't, you can't help but wonder why they even bothered.

Serpico is an honest cop, which makes him somewhat of a pariah. None of his colleagues want to work with him, some even go further by putting Serpico in direct danger on purpose. But Serpico stands by what he believes, and when he discovers some of his fellow policemen are stealing cash from the busts they're doing, he can't keep the info to himself.

Pacino is decent, though I prefer him when he was a bit older. The plot isn't all that interesting and the extra characterization feels flat and uninspired. I'm not a big fan of that grayish (read dull) 70s cinematography either, the score was also pretty tame. That said, I've seen worse and at just over two hours long, it's not impossible to get through.