Serpico

Serpico
*****/5
Sidney Lumet

On reports that my new editing teacher loves this movie so much he shows about 5 random minutes of it every class, I decided to see it before Wednesday (my first class - editing).

I'm not even sure where to start. It was intense. It went on for a long time, but did not seem lengthy. By the time he got anywhere with his struggles, you didn't feel like it was a victory, you were just exhausted with a hint of relief. Anyone wanting to know what people mean by "realism" should view this film. The realism is so strong, you can't help but feel everything the characters feel. When Serpico does something you don't think yourself capable of, it's surprising. You're with him every step of the way. The best example of this is when he jumps across the gap between rooftops. I know I would not be confident to make it, but when he does, I had to stop and remind myself that he is in the prime physical condition to make a jump like that, that this person on screen is not the same as me.

Also, the direction is very good. Lumet manages to not be heavy handed even when every character save Serpico himself delivers lines of such obvious moral degeneration. It's the kind of blatant statement you are supposed to disagree with, but the ease (and realism) it is presented in makes it not so much like everyone is a bad guy. Excellent.

Perhaps I'll revisit this review in a couple weeks with input from Pepperman, my editing teacher.