Serpico (1973): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1973, Serpico is an action, drama, crime and history film directed by Sidney Lumet, running about 130 minutes. “Many of his fellow officers considered him the most dangerous man alive - An honest cop.” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. Frank Serpico is an idealistic New York City cop who refuses to take bribes, unlike the rest of the force. His actions get Frank shunned by the other officers, and often placed in dangerous situations by his partners. When his superiors ignore Frank's accusations of corruption, he decides to go public with the allegations. Although this causes the Knapp Commission to investigate his claims, Frank has also placed a target on himself.

Who’s in it. Serpico stars Al Pacino as Officer Frank Serpico, Jack Kehoe as Tom Keough, Biff McGuire as Captain McClain and Cornelia Sharpe as Leslie Lane, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 7.5/10, Serpico has been warmly received by audiences. It went on to earn $29.8M at the box office.

Where to watch. In US you can stream it on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo and MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel and rent or buy it from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies and YouTube. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Serpico page.

If you liked it. Fans of Serpico tend to enjoy The Dark Knight, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Inception and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.