Serpico is a 1973 American biographical crime drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Al Pacino in the title role. The screenplay was adapted by Waldo Salt and Norman Wexler from the book of the same name written by Peter Maas with the assistance of its subject, Frank Serpico. The story details Serpico's struggle with corruption within the New York City Police Department during his eleven years of service, and his work as a whistleblower that led to the investigation by the Knapp Commission.
Theatrical release poster
Pacino as Frank Serpico in a publicity portrait
Pacino sporting a beard and undercover outfit in a scene
Sidney Arthur Lumet was an American film director. Lumet started his career in theatre before moving to film where he gained a reputation for making realistic and gritty New York dramas which focused on the working class, tackled social injustices, and often questioned authority.
Lumet in 1970
Lumet as a child, photographed by Carl Van Vechten
Lumet in the 1940 play Journey to Jerusalem
Directing Anna Magnani in The Fugitive Kind (1960)