Serpico Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Serpico Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 23, 2011

Sidney Lumet's "Serpico" (1973) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French distributors Studio Canal. The supplemental features on the disc include an exclusive video interview with director Sidney Lumet and the documentary feature "Looking for Al Pacino". In English, with optional French, Spanish, or German subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Are you in or out, Serpico?

The film begins with the end -- we see Frank Serpico (Al Pacino, Scarface) being shot in the face and rushed into a New York City hospital. The news spreads like fire and soon many of his friends and colleagues gather to find out from the doctors whether he will live.

Now, we go back. We see Serpico graduating from the Police Academy and reporting for duty. It takes time for him to get used to the routine, but he is happy. Being a cop is what he has been dreaming of his entire life.

Then come the disappointments -- calls for help are ignored, people are hurt for no good reason, and envelopes full of cash are handed out to cops to mind their own business. This is not why Serpico wanted to be a cop. When his first envelope arrives, he refuses it.

The other guys in the department are unsure what to think of Serpico. Perhaps he just needs more time to get used to how things are done, realize what is expected of him, relax and learn to claim his share. Serpico is new, they conclude, that’s all.

Meanwhile, Serpico meets Leslie (Cornelia Sharpe, Open Season). She likes the arts, ballet in particular. She has never dated a cop before and Serpico certainly does not look like one. Serpico sees in her what all the other men she has been with could not, so he could be the special one. But Serpico reveals to her that he is not ready to commit and she walks away. Shortly after, he meets Laurie (Barbara Eda-Young, Talk to Me).

Eventually, some of the guys in the department lose patience and confront Serpico. They want to know why he is not taking his share, why he is making it difficult for them. Serpico attempts to explain that he simply cannot do it -- being a dirty cop while pretending to be a good one. When the guys finally realize that he is not one of them, they become angry -- very, very angry.

Things start to get out of control when Serpico attempts to alert his superiors that not everything in the department is as it should be. First, he gets a few strange looks, then a couple of serious warnings, and finally a bullet in his face.

Based on Peter Maas’ popular best-seller, Sidney Lumet’s Serpico is a simple but powerful film about an honest cop’s struggle against a corrupt system. A year after the film premiered, Pacino earned an Oscar nomination and won his first Golden Globe Award for his portrayal of the cop.

Serpico is a cold and gritty film, devoid of glamour. It is firmly focused on police corruption and its messaging cannot be misinterpreted, but loneliness and loss are key themes in it as well. As Serpico begins asking questions no one wants to answer, his personal life disintegrates, and eventually he turns into a social outcast.

The title is somewhat misleading as Serpico is not the only character of importance in the film. For example, New York City, as it truly was during the 1970s, comes alive and leaves a lasting impression.

* The real Frank Serpico resigned from the New York City Police Department (NYPD) on June 15, 1972. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for "conspicuous bravery in action". Shortly after, he moved to Switzerland.

Serpico Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.84:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Sidney Lumet's Serpico arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French distributors Studio Canal.

This high-definition transfer has been struck from a dated source, but it still looks very good. Fine object detail is very strong, clarity pleasing, and contrast levels a lot more consistent than I expected them to be. Some extremely light noise corrections have been performed, but the fine film grain has been retained. The overwhelming majority of it is also well resolved. Traces of mild edge enhancement are noticeable during a couple of the outdoor scenes (the meeting at the bridge), but the rest of the transfer looks surprisingly healthy. There are no serious artifacts either. Generally speaking, color reproduction is very strong. I did a few random comparisons with Paramount's R1 DVD release and the blacks and browns appear substantially healthier. Lastly, there are no serious stability issues. I noticed a few nicks popping up a couple of times, but there are no large damage marks, cuts, stains, or warps to report in this review either. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content. Please note that the disc's main menu can be set in one of the following languages: French, German, or Spanish).

Serpico Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are four audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, and Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. For the record, Studio Canal have provided optional French, Spanish, and German subtitles for the main feature.

The English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track is good. Its dynamic amplitude is fairly limited, but the dialog is clean and easy to follow. There are a few scenes where the low frequencies feel a bit weak, but I must speculate that this is an inherited limitation (on the R1 DVD, the audio occasionally sounds even weaker). There are no balance issues with Mikis Theodorakis's music score. I also did not detect any pops, cracks, or excessive hiss to report in this review.

Serpico Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Sidney Lumet, cineaste New-Yorkais - a wonderful video interview in which director Sidney Lumet discusses the production history of Serpico, his life, career, and what makes New York City such an exciting place. In English, with imposed French, German, or Spanish subtitles. (29 min, PAL).

• Looking for Al Pacino - Jack J. Cambria, NYPD commanding officer, filmmakers Jerry Schatzberg (The Panic in Needle Park, Scarecrow), Michael Radford (The Merchant of Venice), and Jack Garfein (Something Wild) discuss the real Frank Serpico, director Sidney Lumet's legacy, and Al Pacino's performance in Serpico. In English, with imposed French, German, or Spanish subtitles. (30 min, 1080/50i).

Serpico Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

One of the great films of the 1970s, Sidney Lumet's Serpico is yet to be released on Blu-ray in North America. The French release herein reviewed, courtesy of Studio Canal, looks and sounds very good. Also, it has an excellent documentary feature and an illuminating video interview with director Lumet. If you can play Region-B "locked" discs, you should consider adding the release to your library. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.