Meant to be a character study as well as an examination of police corruption, the film is, ultimately, unsatisfactory. About halfway through the film, Pacino's constant, unvaried shouting becomes tedious. The film is not a balanced look at police corruption or a compelling character study. We don't connect the loose hip Greenwich Village Serpico with the cop he that is. He never connects with his fellow officers or for that matter anyone, he's too busy shouting them down or doing one of his street theater undercover routines. None of the supporting characters count or make an impression;it's a showcase for Pacino and his character eventually comes off as a self-pitying,self-righteous, prima donna. Lumet and Pacino are better represented by "Dog Day Afteroon"(1975). And Lumet's "Prince of the City"(1981) is a more complex,convincing, and focused study of informing and police corruption. On the plus side, Serpico has a good feel for location and provokes thought. Otherwise, it feels dated,the scenes with his living partners are soapy, and those with his parents are moldy. The score by Theodorakis is inappropriate,the dialog ,especially in the domestic scenes, is trite,and the ending disappointments. In its day, this might have been an eye-opener, now the effect may be the opposite.
