SERPICO
If you missed this RMC, you missed some great viewing.
The Preshow Entertainment was, again, one of the classic 39 episode of THE HONEYMOONERS. An episode called A MATTER OF RECORD, where after Ralph kicks Alice's mother out, Alice leaves too. Missing her, Norton persuades Ralph to make a recording and send it to Alice (boy, would I love that machine; I guess you record on some kind of acetate/record....I'll have to check eBay....more junk for the place...). Well, the first record doesn't go very well- Ralph gets carried away, and so does his sweet talking apology, which turns ugly. So they make a new record and, well, you can guess which one Norton sends to Alice.
The pizza didn't arrive yet, so we started watching OH MY ACHING BACK, the next episode, and one of the best (Ralph pretends to be tired so he can get out of going to Alice's mother's for dinner, to go bowling instead). Unfortunately, we didn't get to Act 2, which is killer funny. Still we got some good laughs out of what we got to see.
The Random Movie was-
SERPICO. A dirty, gritty, and at times funny Sidney Lumet film. I saw this movie on my first date ever in High School, on a double bill with DEATH WISH. And we ended up going out. Go figure.
One of the cool things about SERPICO is that it tells you the ending in the very first scene. So, it's the journey. In fact, even though the beginning is vivid and sticks in your head throughout the duration, the movie is so compelling and moves so nicely that you forget it (sometimes). This is not the only prophetic part of the story- a cop tells Serpico (and us) exactly what will happen to him. But once again...the journey. Which is...
A simple story with complex underpinings, as police officer Frank Serpico, getting no help from anyone regarding widespread police corruption, becomes more and more frustrated and slowly unravels. Yet, he never gives in. Not even in the first scene where he is exposed to it, when he gets a free meal at a cafeteria (from great character actor Kenneth McMillan), but would rather pay for it.
Director Sidney Lumet (Now in his 80s and still making movies) populates the film with some great hard-edged actors who serve to support Serpico's (Al Pacino, more on him in a moment) character, and how different he is from the rest. And by different, I mean, just wants to be a good cop, and not take money like EVERYONE else. Actors include: M. Emmet Walsh, TV movie whore Tony Lo Bianco, Hill Street Blues alum Rene Enriquez, James Tolkan (who played Napoleon in LOVE AND DEATH!), Tony Roberts ("Twins, Max, think of the possibilities" -from Annie Hall), and uncredited appearances by F. Murray Abraham and Judd Hirsch. And a lot of old pros that I'm pretty sure Lumet knew from his STUDIO ONE Golden Age of Television days.
Based on a true story...it was Frank Serpico's actions that scandalized and brought down the corruption of the NYC police force, and led to the formation of The Knapp Commission. He's a good guy in a bad place, and no one, right up to the police commissioner, would do anything about it. Not only that, but his fellow cops all hated him, especially when he became a whistleblower. Serpico didn't need to get shot in the face to be a hero. He was a hero from the beginning. The real Serpico left the country (smart move), but he came back in the '80s. He still gives talks and helps battle police corruption.
Okay, now we get to talk about Pacino, who was nominated for an Oscar and won the Golden Globe for SERPICO. Has he ever been better? Perhaps. But perhaps not. His character is so lovable and so righteous that you feel his frustrations. Screw that "in the moment" actor crap. When the titles come on and it says Al Pacino in Serpico, they mean it. Do they even have acting like this today? And how hot was Pacino back then? THE GODFATHER, SCARECROW, SERPICO, THE GODFATHER II, DOG DAY AFTERNOON. All in a row. All in 4 years. It's so sad for me to think that movies like SERPICO helped shape me, and movies like VAN HELSING are shaping this generation. But I digress.
Four sidebar notes:
1) I was a little too young to remember the headlines, but I do remember the cop who lived across the street from me was in trouble.
2) I played in a band once, and the other guitar player was related to Serpico.
3) My father used to go the McBurney Y after work to play basketball, then take a sauna. Let's just say he wasn't really into movies and celebrity. So, often he'd find himself in the sauna with Al Pacino. They became buddies because my dad didn't know who he was. He would just call him Al. Once when they talked, Al mentioned that he was an actor. My father said, "Oh, my son wants to get into show business."
4) As unbelievable as this may sound, once a girl followed me home because she thought I was Al Pacino.
Tags: random movie club, serpico, the honeymooners, al pacino
