Al Pacino: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

4. Frank Serpico - Serpico

If The Godfather films cemented Pacino as one to watch, Serpico placed him on the pinnacle as a consummate young actor. His performance as Frank Serpico, who goes from fresh-faced young police recruit to hippy agitator, is a joy to watch. The film tells of the titular cop as he is promoted to plainclothes police work. Here he discovers the police corruption and brutality that is an everyday occurrence. When he decides to expose his colleagues, he is harassed to the point of excess which not causes problems with his love-life but also with his life as a whole. Then, one night, he is shot in the face. It is then that he decides he will testify against the force and take on the corruption that has poisoned the NYPD. Not only is this one of Pacino's best performances, it is also one of Sidney Lumet's best films. The seventies shot drama is easily an equal to other cop films of the era like The French Connection but, in Frank Serpico, we have a character with real heart and a desire to do what is right. It's also great to see Pacino playing Frank later in life almost as a polar opposite to Michael Corleone, scruffy and determined to uphold the law.