On this day in movie history - Serpico (1973):

Serpico

directed by Sidney Lumet,

written by Waldo Salt and Norman Wexler,

based on the book by Peter Maas,

was released in the United States on December 5, 1973.
Music by Mikis Theodorakis.

Cast:

Al Pacino, John Randolph, Jack Kehoe, Biff McGuire, Barbara Eda-Young, Cornelia Sharpe, Edward Grover, Tony Roberts, Allan Rich, Albert Henderson, Joseph Bova, Woodie King Jr., James Tolkan, Bernard Barrow, Nathan George, M. Emmet Walsh, Ted Beniades, F. Murray Abraham, Judd Hirsch.

Recommended reading - Serpico (1973):

Serpico

By Peter Maas.

First published 1973.

Published by Harper Perennial.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0060738189

ISBN-13: 978-0060738181

Description:

THE CLASSIC TRUE STORY OF THE COP WHO COULDN'T BE BOUGHT.

With an Afterword by Frank Serpico.

The 1960s was a time of social and generational upheaval felt with particular intensity in the melting pot of New York City. A culture of corruption pervaded the New York Police Department, where payoffs, protection, and shakedowns of gambling rackets and drug dealers were common practice. The so-called blue code of silence protected the minority of crooked cops from the sanction of the majority.

Into this maelstrom came a working class, Brooklyn-born, Italian cop with long hair, a beard, and a taste for opera and ballet. Frank Serpico was a man who couldn't be silenced – or bought – and he refused to go along with the system. He had sworn an oath to uphold the law, even if the perpetrators happened to be other cops. For this unwavering commitment to justice, Serpico nearly paid with his life.

"I don't think anyone can come away from Serpico without admiration for one man's lonely integrity." – New York Times.

"A penetrating . . . exciting story." – San Francisco Chronicle.

"[A] raw and moving portrait." – Chicago Sun-Times.

"An absorbing story of what one angry, honest man can do." – Detroit News.

"Excellent." – Newsweek.