This is one of the 10 must-see thrillers: 51 years later, it is still classified among the masterpieces of the genre.

A few years ago, the editorial team of AlloCiné had a long debate to solve the crucial question for any movie lover, and which may have led you to this article: What are the essentials of the detective/thriller genre in its life?

One of the 10 thrillers you have seen in your life

After much deliberation, the editorial team has managed to compile the top 10 must-watch thrillers. Between Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas, Billy Wilder’s Death Insurance and Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le Samouraï with the late Alain Delon, we had quite a range to cover and, we hoped, would be a genre-bender.

But among them, one in particular caught our attention, which is considered one of the classics of the genre: Serpico, directed by Sidney Lumet and released in 1973 in the United States and 1974 in France, so 50 years ago this year.

It starred Al Pacino as Frank Serpico, an honest cop who decides to expose corruption in the New York police force. Dressed in civilian clothes, he walks the streets incognito. But the pressure of his colleagues is such that he experiences real hell.

One memory that stands out from watching Serpico stands above all others: Al Pacino’s animal magnetism, exploding the screen with every frame, brilliantly staged by Lumet. Serpico’s (who actually existed) righteous but almost desperate struggle makes him an eminently likable and exciting character.

Serpico is remarkably realistic, depicting New York as dirty and dirty. Serpico is alone against everyone, and Lumet manages to capitalize on this loneliness by gradually placing the other characters before him and never with him. For his part, Pacino mixes vulnerability and ferocity in a performance that will rightfully be nominated for an Oscar.