Serpico is an icon of his era, a capable officer of the law with the bohemian slack of the 70s counterculture and a voice of true justice. Thanks to the film, his crusade is survived as a representative of the human ideal we yearn to have infilitrating the system. Pacino’s subtlety serves him as he walks the line between heroism and martyrdom, the pressures of his ultimatum fluxing in his interior, illuminating his eyes. The script is seemingly epic as it details a struggle that expands years. However, at its core, Serpico is conflict of one man against great odds, paying the price of decency. Sidney Lumet preserves the identity of New York with location shooting and shorthand cinematography, moving the narrative with swift intensity that rises and rises and rises.