Serpico
A beautiful film about a story that, from before the very first scene, you already know cannot possibly end well: Serpico has just been shot in the face and now lies helpless and gravely wounded, protected only by the very people who reduced him to that state.
As the story progresses, the situation keeps getting worse, and you constantly expect the moment in which he is finally shot, because the number of people who would gladly put a bullet in his face increases scene after scene.
It’s a film that conveys perfectly the feeling of being trapped, the protagonist’s inability to truly do anything despite never giving up, until he eventually manages to find someone willing to help him, all within a completely corrupted system, from its foundations to the very top.
From both a directorial and narrative perspective, it’s a fascinating film: every scene transition feels abrupt, almost like being thrown into a different world, with Frank constantly appearing in new disguises that make him, both aesthetically and humanly, the complete opposite of the policemen surrounding him.
One of the aspects I found most interesting is how the protagonist is only gradually brought closer to corruption. Even though it is present from the very beginning, the first form of corruption he encounters is simply the restaurant owner parking illegally; then comes the world of gambling, a crime that, while serious, is not especially brutal, and only later does he come face to face with the corruption within the narcotics divisions themselves.
This is interesting not only because it highlights Serpico’s deep integrity, but also because it forces the viewer to wonder: is it really worth getting yourself into trouble over this?