Word: serpico
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...least part of the movie's interest lies in the fact that Serpico was a real cop, whose allegations and testimony of police corruption lead to the creation of the Knapp Commission investigation of New York's finest. And as in the movie, Serpico ended his career with a bullet in his head--just barely escaping with his life-received under rather questionable circumstances during a narcotics raid for the NYPD...
...that it would have made much difference, though. Serpico is an excellent portrayal of the impossibility of one individual taking on an entire system. He is frustrated at every turn as he attempts to report the wide scale corruption he witnesses. No one, from his captain to the mayor's office, is willing to do more than warn him to be careful. Veiled threats turn quickly to violence, both in the movie and the real world. Institutions bear down mightly on dangerous individuals. Serpico illustrates some of the consequences of this process...
...movie is a study in tension. Despite the lack of a surprise ending, suspense increases scene by scene as it becomes more apparent that Serpico is a thorn in the side of the police department. Making an arrest in plainclothes, Serpico is fired on by uniformed officers who don't recognize him as a cop. The scene develops almost humorously, with Serpico crouched in a corner, frantically waving his badge and shouting "police officer," but the point is unmistakably made that his life is worthless to any enemy on the force...
This tension takes its toll on Serpico's personal life. He loses one girlfriend, then another; he is friendless on the job. His isolation and paranoia increase as he is left alone and brooding, and he buys a bigger and better gun to defend himself with. By the time he is finally shot, he seems near madness from the accumulated pressure...
...Serpico is a good movie not only because its filled with personal drama and suspense, but also because it points out in its own way why Watergates exist, and why they are so difficult to root out and dispose of. Much has been said of the White House "atmosphere" in which so many illegal activities have taken place. Certainly only an extraordinary individual. perhaps only a movie hero, could fight such an atmosphere, resist participation in illegal activities, and hang on to his job at the same time...