Serpico (8/10): Al Pacino's powerhouse performance remains one of his best

“What's this for? For bein' an honest cop? Hmm? Or for being stupid enough to get shot in the face? You tell them that they can shove it.”

If you were alive during the 70’s then there is no question in my mind that your favorite actor was Al Pacino. He ruled during that decade. His performance in Serpico playing the title character, an honest cop who refused to participate in the corruptive system that surrounded the NY police department, is considered by many to be his best work, which is saying a lot when you take into account his other films during that four year span: both Godfather films, Dog Day Afternoon, and Scarecrow. He was nominated for an Oscar for his performances during four straight years and surprisingly came out empty handed. It wouldn’t be until his eight nomination in 1993 for his lead performance in Scent of a Woman that he would finally receive his dues (a category in which he was also nominated for Glengarry Glen Ross). It’s astonishing to look back at his career and see how many great performances he delivered over time, but especially during the early 70’s. Serpico is a film that must be seen primarily for his energetic performance, which foretold what an illustrious career he would have ahead of him. It didn’t hurt that the great Sidney Lumet was directing this true story based on the biographical book written by Peter Maas. His choices for location all over the different NY boroughs gave the film a sense of authenticity for this genre film. Lumet was interested in focusing on this character and portraying the emotional effect that the corruptive system had on him in the most realistic way possible and he succeeded. It’s been more than 40 years since Serpico has been released and its themes remain relevant to this day.

The film opens with a bloodied officer being rushed to a hospital in the back of a police car. We find out that he’s an undercover cop named Frank Serpico (Al Pacino) and he has been shot in the face. When one of the police inspector’s receives the news his immediate reaction is that a fellow officer must have shot him. The next scene is a close-up shot of Serpico’s eyes that are still moving and then the film takes us to the 60’s where we see a younger version of him graduating as a police officer from the Academy. From the very beginning we can tell that Serpico is self motivated and honest. He aspires to become a detective, but his idealistic world comes crumbling down when he witnesses his fellow officers accepting bribes from gamblers and drug dealers. They offer him money, but he doesn’t accept, which in turns makes him new enemies. His next move is to enlist the help of a trusted officer named Bob Blair (Tony Roberts) who sets him up with higher ranked officers to whom he can report his partners’ corruptive behavior, but all they end up doing is transferring him to new divisions. Their promises of cleaning up the department go nowhere and Frank’s increasing frustration begins to take a toll on his relationship with his fiancee Laurie (Barbara Eda-Young) as several years go by with the same results. With very few friends and a lot of enemies, Frank knows that his days as a police officer are numbered, but he remains hopeful that someday the truth will be revealed. 

Lumet expertly manages to portray the passage of time in a rather convincing manner here without resorting to spoon feeding the audience. The editing is handled in superb fashion and Al Pacino’s physical transformation is a great indicator of how distrusting of the system he’s becoming. He is the driving force of the movie and the main reason why the film succeeds. He gets to shine in the subtle and quiet moments such as when he’s simply enjoying his back yard listening to opera and starting a conversation with his next door neighbor, or during the powerful emotional scenes where he takes all his anger and frustration out on his fiancee or a criminal he just busted in the streets. Serpico shaped the genre and the way some action films were being handled by delivering a more authentic and true to life film that added resonance to the subject that was being handled. The material was handled seriously by the screenwriters who delivered an honest adaptation and weren’t there simply to entertain audiences, but to deliver a message. That is what has made this such a memorable and thought provoking film to this date. Al Pacino is the only actor who really gets to stand out here because the entire focus is on him and as time passes the rest of the characters come in and out of his life, but he is reason enough to check the film out.          

Manglehorn (5/10): Pacino and Hunter are great together, but it isn't enough to save the weak script.

"Oh Franny. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you last night. But what am I gonna do, sometimes I get crazy."

Manglehorn is director David Gordon Green's latest feature film; a character study of a locksmith who lives isolated and in regret over a past love that he let get away. I was a fan of the only two other Green films I had seen: Joe and Pineapple Express, and Manglehorn is more similar in style to Joe in its naturalistic approach, but it also combines it with poetic imagery. The relationship dynamics didn't work as well as they did in Joe, but Al Pacino delivers a solid and surprisingly restrained performance in the lead role that almost makes the film worth recommending. However there are several issues with the screenplay and with some of the characters introduced in the story. The film doesn't do a good job at exploring Manglehorn's relationship with his son or with a former baseball player who he coached in High School. These characters are introduced in the film to act as a filler, but they didn't add anything to the story which is at its best when it focuses on Al Pacino and his relationship with either his cat or the bank teller played by Holly Hunter. The scenes the two shared together were the highlight of the film which made me wish it would've centered exclusively around that relationship and ignored the scenes with his son and the quirky character played by Harmony Korine who overacted every scene he was in. The scenes with Korine felt surreal at times and the visual style during those scenes seemed to come right out from one of his movies. Those scenes never connected with me and took me out of the story. The screenplay is a bit overloaded with symbolic imagery and it is a bit heavy-handed. 

Al Pacino delivers an understated performance as Manglehorn which is very rare coming from him. He's an eccentric man who can't seem to let go of his past. He spends his free time writing to his long lost love, and every time he sends the letters they are returned unopened. He also has a poor relationship with his successful son, Jacob (Chris Messina), who he rarely talks to. Jacob has a beautiful daughter, Kylie (Skylar Gasper), who Manglehorn likes to spend time with, but that is about their only common interest. One night while gambling in a small local town casino he runs into Gary (Harmony Korine), one of his former baseball players, who seems to admire his coach. He is loud mouthed and Manglehorn doesn't seem too pleased to listen to his admiration for him. He'd like to go on with his life unnoticed and in the tranquility of his home with his cat who he enjoys talking to (I kept on expecting the cat to talk back to him like in The Voices with Ryan Reynolds). His other weekly routine is going to the bank on Fridays and starting a friendly conversation with Dawn (Holly Hunter), the sweet bank teller. The two form a nice bond and begin hanging out, but Manglehorn is so obsessed by his past love that he shuts everyone else out at times. His and Dawn's relationship is the heart of the film and everything else is left undeveloped.

It is a shame that Al Pacino and Holly Hunter weren't given stronger material to work here because the two shined together on screen. The depressing tone of the film was a bit of a downer, but it does end on a stronger note thanks in most part because they finally focus on the relationship between the two of them. I think that Al Pacino's strong screen presence also made the film more bearable because at times the screenplay did push my patience with some of the strange scenes involving Korine's character. This is a film about regret and trying to move on in life and when it focuses on those issues it is at its best thanks to Pacino's commanding presence. This is by far my least favorite Green film of the three I've seen now, but I've heard his comedy efforts after Pineapple Express weren't very good so I've stayed away from Your Highness and The Sitter. I am still looking forward to catching up with Prince Avalanche, which seems pretty much like a film I'd enjoy. There are elements in Manglehorn that I enjoyed, especially the final act and the scenes between Pacino and Hunter, but there were too many flaws I couldn't ignore.   

My Review: Scarface (9/10)

"I always tell the truth. Even when I lie."

Brian DePalma's Scarface has become such a classic film over time and its main character (Al Pacino as Scarface) is such an iconic pop cultural figure that few people would believe that he was actually nominated for a Razzie for Worst Director in 1984. Scarface is yet another film that was perhaps misunderstood when it came out, but has built a solid cult following over time (it influenced a lot of rappers and hip hop artists during the 90's) and is recognized by the IMDB as one of the top 250 films. When it comes to gangster films this might not be as perfect as The Godfather I, II, or Goodfellas but it still ranks among the top 10 in the genre and it has become more popular over time. Despite having never seen the film in its entirety before, I was familiar with the ending. Everyone knows where the phrase "Say hello to my little friend" comes from despite never have seeing this film because the ending of Scarface is perhaps one of the best known scenes in cinema history. Scarface has so many memorable quotes that it's hard to choose one, and that is thanks to the great script written by Oliver Stone who loosely adapted it from a prior film. It is also such a memorable film thanks in most part to Al Pacino's masterful performance as Tony Montana. He has made so many great films in his career, but I think this character will always stand out a bit above the rest. For some critics his performance may be over the top, but I think he nailed it and that is why Montana has become such an iconic figure over time. There is something about him that has transcended time and cultures. It is an epic and ultra violent stylized film and that is why Al Pacino's over the top and loud performance worked so well. Scarface is about 170 minutes long but it never ceases to entertain for a second.

During the Mariel harbor opening in Cuba more than 100,000 Cuban refugees were sent to the United States, one of those refugees happened to be communist hating ex military Tony Montana (Al Pacino). He has big dreams and high ambitions but upon his arrival he has to start off low. He and his friend, Manny (Steven Bauer) begin washing dishes when they are contacted by Omar Suarez (Murray Abraham) to make a business deal with some dangerous Colombians involving some drugs and money. Tony and Manny survive their mission and Omar introduces them to his boss, Frank Lopez (Robert Loggia), a drug kingpin in Miami, who hires their services. Frank has it all: a big mansion, nice cars, and a beautiful wife named Elvira (Michelle Pfeiffer); everything that Tony dreams of having in this new country. Tony is convinced that he will not stop until he gets what he wants and in doing so helping his sister Gina (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) with whom he had been separated during his prison stint in Cuba. The only problem is that he will have to make a lot of enemies on the way to the top.

I really don't know what DePalma's true intentions were for Scarface. I don't believe he was trying to glorify Scarface because he was portrayed in a dark and negative light, but over time he has become sort of a role model for some people. Perhaps Al Pacino's performance was so strong that it made it easy for audience's to relate to this ambitious character. DePalma was able to make the audience care for this unstable and explosive character. On the one hand he refused to kill women and kids, but on the other he was able to kill his best friend without hesitation. Scarface does seem to walk a fine line between glorifying the character and showing how destructive ambition and excesses can be. This bleak mood set in the film can be seen through Pfeiffer's character, someone who has it all but seems completely unhappy with life. Even Tony himself once he achieves his goals seems to lose himself completely by these excesses. He hates seeing his sister with other men involved in the same business because he knows how ugly this life is. That is why I think DePalma was never trying to portray Scarface in a glorifying light, but over time his character has become admired by worldwide audiences. The film has a lot to say about ambition, loyalty, and betrayal, but above all it is a stylized ultra violent film that lacks the technical achievements that The Godfather had. It still remains as one of the great gangster and immigrant films of the 80's.

My Review: Jack and Jill (2/10)

¨His twin sister is coming for the holidays…and it ain`t pretty.¨

Adam Sandler stars in yet another disastrous comedy this year, this time playing two characters: a male and female version of himself. This is just one of those movies Sandler could make with his eyes closed. It requires no dedication from him whatsoever and I don’t blame him. Why try to change what you do when it is having results? It doesn’t matter that the critics don’t enjoy his films because the audience seems to keep on coming back for more. I find most of his films pretty much alike and haven’t enjoyed one of them in a long time, but it doesn’t matter because Sandler fans will continue to support his movies and fill theater seats. One thing is for sure, Sandler has a lot of fun at work. He probably has a blast making these easy movies which don’t have anything memorable about them, but sometimes are enough for a few laughs. I think I enjoyed Just go With It a little more than this movie, but I really had a hard time deciding which film was worse. Director Dennis Dugan has worked many times with Sandler in the past beginning with Happy Gilmore, Big Daddy, and ending with Grown Ups and Just Go With It. They seem to be making the same films over and over again and repeating the same jokes, but Sandler has his fan base and he stays true to them. I enjoyed his earlier films, but have stopped doing so in recent years. The jokes have gotten old and there are many other better comedies coming out these days. I wouldn’t be surprised if this film actually wins every Razzie Award it`s been nominated for, including Worst Picture.

Jack Sadelstein (Adam Sandler) is a successful commercial producer who has a happy life alongside his wife, Erin (Katie Holmes), and two children, Sofia (Elodie Tougne) and Gary (Rohan Chand). They are expecting Jack`s twin sister, Jill (Adam Sandler), annual visit for Thanksgiving. Jack doesn’t get along with Jill very much although she thinks the best of him and misses the old days when they spent all day together. The truth is Jill is very loud and obnoxious and Jack enjoys his normal and quiet family life. What should have been only a weekend visit ends up being a long one since Jill feels lonely after her mother has passed away. She ends up staying and things get out of hand at times. In the meantime, Jack needs to sign Al Pacino (played by himself) for a commercial and so decides to try to convince him to accept the offer. Pacino ends up falling in love with Jill, but she wants nothing to do with him. Jack tries to use her in order to convince him to do the commercial but things begin to get out of hand. The film doesn’t really have much of a plot as we have to sit down and see a Sandler double feature but that is pretty much all I can say about the plot synopsis.

I don’t see how anyone could actually enjoy this film, but I`m guessing most Sandler fans will like this considering they get to see two Sandler characters. The highlight of the films might be the special cameo appearances as we get to see Shaq, David Spade, Norm MacDonald, Dana Carvey, Regis Philbin, Dan Patrick, Drew Carey, John McEnroe, and Johnny Depp among many others. I don’t know how Sandler gets all these people to show up in his movies but somehow he manages too. This may be Al Pacino`s worst role to date, I guess he just wanted to try something new, but he looked absolutely ridiculous in this film. Katie Holmes was alright, she didn’t have to do much, and her character wasn’t funny so she just played a safe role. Eugenio Derbez was the best thing about the movie. His character, Felipe the gardener, was by far the funniest thing about Jack and Jill. There is not much more I can say about this, It is really a lazy comedy, but I can see how all these actors might have had such a fun time playing together and making easy money. I was tempted to stop watching this movie right after it started, but I decided to suck it up and stay to the end. My favorite scene was when Jill was working out in the cruise with the two beefed up men and making them look bad. I really laughed hard at that scene, probably because I was just too bored with the rest of this terrible movie.

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My Review: The Godfather Part II (10/10)

¨Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.¨

Coppola´s (or should I say Puzo`s) The Godfather Part II is considered by many as the best sequel of all time, and some even consider it to be better than the original. In my opinion it is not as good as the first part, but there is no denying this is a great film nonetheless. Coppola did a great job with the direction once again, and has created a timeless film that movie fans go back to time after time. There are several things he did well with this film. First of all he took a completely different approach towards romanticizing the Corleone`s. In the first film we were attracted to Vito for his strong family beliefs and loyalty to his friends, in this film we see how Michael completely begins to lose control of his family and friends. Michael, who I admired in the first film, has become so blind in his lust for power that he losses the strong values his father had taught him. He has grown cold, distant, and even goes as far as to hitting his wife (something Vito would never have dreamed of doing). The parallel story of young Vito and how he became a Don also works really well as it is told in flashbacks during Michael`s present reign as Don. This story serves as a reminder of how distant Michael has become from what his father wanted of him. Part II is more of a nostalgic movie as we see the decline in the once strong and united Corleone family, and Nino Rota`s score is a perfect example of that. The final scenes of the film only confirm this sentiment. The performance from the cast is as equally as brilliant as it was from the first, and Gordon Willis`s cinematography is also equally impressive with its dark scenes that help set the mood of the film.

The Godfather Part II continues where the first one left off with Michael (Al Pacino) as head of the Corleone family and Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall) as his personal adviser and lawyer. They are living in Nevada now and running the gambling business in that state during the late 50`s. While we follow the present storyline, Coppola introduces a series of flashbacks beginning all the way back in 1901 following the early life of Vito (Oreste Baldini) in Sicily. Vito´s father, brother, and mother (in that specific order) have been killed by Don Ciccio (Giuseppe Sillato), but Vito is able to escape to New York. The film later jumps forward to 1917 where Vito (Robert De Niro) is making a living working as a clerk for a small store in New York. The movie jumps back and forth between both stories. On the one hand you have Michael trying to expand his empire travelling to Miami and Cuba, meeting with Hyman Roth (Lee Strasberg), a successful Jewish businessman, who Michael isn`t sure he can trust. On the meantime he has problems back home with his wife Kay (Diane Keaton), problems with Nevada Senator Pat Geary (G. D. Spradlin), and problems in New York with Frankie Pentangeli (Michael V. Gazzo), Clemenza`s replacement and friend of the family. After an attack on his life Michael isn`t sure who is after him (or maybe he is and we don`t know it). On the other hand, the other story continues to follow young Vito as he meets Clemenza (Bruno Kirby) and Tessio (John Aprea) and begins his imminent rise to becoming the Don.

Marlon Brando was a huge part of the success of the first film, but Coppola, along with Puzo, did a great job introducing new characters to the story that contributed to the success of the sequel. Michael V. Gazzo as Frankie and Lee Strasberg as Roth were great in this film and gave it a fresh new look. Another contributing factor was the addition of the flashbacks because Robert de Niro was the right man to play young Vito. His Oscar winning performance was outstanding and he just stood out in every scene he was in. Al Pacino continued with his transformation in the first film, and now he portrayed a much darker and colder Michael. He didn`t have to say anything and we already knew what he was feeling. There are several memorable scenes in which he speaks louder with his facial expressions than he does with his words. The opening scene in Nevada where the family is reunited celebrating Michael`s son`s First Communion is reminiscent of Connie`s wedding scene in the first Godfather, and the same thing can be said of several other scenes as the final one. The sequel serves as a nostalgic memory of what the Corleone`s once were (or at least what Coppola wanted us to think of them in the first romantic movie), it is much darker, but it still works and compliments the first part really well. The Godfather Part II is not better than the original, but it is still a masterpiece.

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My Review: The Godfather (10/10)

¨I`ll make him an offer he can`t refuse.¨

Many people consider the 70`s to be the Golden Age in Cinema, and if that is the case then Francis Ford Coppola had a great deal to do with it. During that decade he directed The Godfather Part 1 and 2, The Conversation, and Apocalypse Now; he also produced American Graffiti, and wrote the screenplay for Patton. During that time he won 5 Oscars and was nominated for another seven. At least one of these films is on everybody`s favorite movies list, and The Godfather is considered by many critics to be the best film of all time. Despite being nominated for eleven Oscars it only took home three (Best Picture, Best Performance by Marlon Brando, and Best Screenplay), just one more confirmation that a film can`t be judged by the amount of awards it receives. The Godfather deserves much more. It is a movie that has transcended time and is enjoyed by everyone even decades after its first release. It was the first of its kind to portray the mafia from the inside and Coppola does a great job at romanticizing them and making us root for these criminals. How does he do it? By showing us the mafia as a strong and united family that supports each other; portraying the good guys as bad (there are corrupt cops and politicians); and making Vito Corleone stand out from the rest of the criminal families by not wanting to get involved in the drug business. He completely romanticizes the Corleone family and has us rooting for them from the very first scene thanks to a very intelligent script co-written with Mario Puzo who had previously written the bestselling novel. The script is amazing, the performances are great, and the direction from Coppola is just superb. All these elements combine perfectly to create this classic masterpiece.

We are introduced to Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) in the opening scene. He is head of one of the five New York Mafia families, and is attending his daughter`s wedding. The wedding serves as a great excuse for Coppola to introduce all the characters because the entire family is gathered at the wedding. Vito is the Godfather for many of the people invited and he is treated with a great deal of respect. Tradition has it that no Sicilian can refuse requests on their daughter`s wedding day, so Vito is attending some of his associates who are in need of favors. His sons Sonny (James Caan) and Fredo (John Cazale) are in the family business along with Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall), the family lawyer and consigliere, who was adopted by Vito at a very young age and is like a son to him as well. His youngest son, Michael (Al Pacino), a World War II veteran shows up with his girlfriend Kay Adams (Diane Keaton) and is talking to her about his family. This conversation also serves as a perfect excuse to hear anecdotes about the family`s criminal life and we are informed at once that Michael is the only one who is not involved in the family business. He has decided to stay away from the criminal lifestyle and is respected by his family. The entire plot takes place inside the world of the Corleone family and during a time where significant change begins to take place. Vito will have to make an important decision whether or not the family should protect a wealthy man named The Turk (Al Lettieri) who is trying to bring heroin into the city, or stick to the harmless gambling and alcohol business. He better think things carefully because his decision could have consequences.

The Godfather is without a doubt a masterpiece and the cast has a great deal to do with it. James Caan and Robert Duvall had worked with Coppola in his previous film, The Rain People, and now they returned again with significant roles. They give great performances, but who really stands out in this movie is Marlon Brando who really becomes the Don. He gives one of the most memorable and all-time best movie performances in film history. Al Pacino hadn`t made a significant movie before and the transformation he goes through in this film is incredible. His character is the one who experiences the most change if we recall his first appearance in the wedding and his last one in the Baptism scene. The screenplay is also very well written, the story completely hooks us from the very beginning, the characters are unforgettable, and Coppola just did a great job with the direction as he immersed us inside this world of crime. Of course we know that the mob world isn`t anything like this and it has been romanticized by Hollywood, but Coppola managed to make us care for these criminals who actually don`t see themselves as the villains. Nino Rota`s score is just amazing and breathtaking; it helps build the suspense.The Baptism parallel action scene is one of the best ones in film history and has since been imitated endlessly in most action films, although never with the same effect. This is required viewing for everyone, one of the greatest achievements in film history.

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