The Movie Serpico Essay

The film Serpico, created in 1973, tells the true story of New York City police officer Frank Serpico and how he struggled to deal with police corruption. Serpico is a dramatic crime movie that displays the culture of police corruption that once was in New York in the 1960’s. At different points in the film you start to understand why some of the officers were corrupted. The film also displays the treatment that Frank Serpico received due to his reluctance to become corrupted himself. Ultimately the decisions that Serpico made nearly led to an untimely death. When watching this movie one theory surfaces which is Robert Merton’s “General Strain Theory.” I believe this theory partly explains some of the corruption, and why Serpico never

became corrupted himself.

During the film you notice that Serpico does not have the same responsibilities as many of his fellow officers.

Unlike his fellow officers, Serpico does not have any children or a wife, and because of this he has less strain. One officer who urges Serpico to come aboard and accept the money explains how he sent his daughter to San Francisco to be in the opera, and that it cost a lot of money. This is an example of how family responsibilities put a strain on some officers to provide for their family. I believe this strain led many officers to innovate and accept a culture that included stealing from drug dealers and local gambling establishments in order to obtain what they wanted regardless if it was in an unconventional or illegal way. However, since Serpico did not have the same strain I think he was able to respond to strain in his own way. Serpico conformed to societal pressure and chose to obtain his goals through honest hard work unlike so many of his fellow officers. Serpico’s conforming adaptation to strain leads to the film’s main

statement.

I believe the main statement this film tries to make is you should stand up for what you believe in. When looking at Serpico’s situation it must have been extremely difficult to be the one cop who refused to accept any money. Throughout the film there are several instances where Serpico is ridiculed because he refuses to take part in the corruption. It appeared in the movie that corruption ran deep throughout the New York Police Department, and that senior leadership knew of the problem but turned a blind eye. I feel that most individuals in Serpico’s situation would have either looked away or requested a transfer to another department. Serpico however chose to stick to his beliefs of being an honest person essentially committing career suicide because other officers did not trust him and believed that he would try and turn them in.

One behavior the officers in the movie exhibited that I think is still present in today’s law enforcement is that most police officers have each other’s back regardless of the circumstances.

This loyalty in turn is creates and environment for corruption to exist; officers will either participate or turn a blind eye to unethical behavior instead of turning against their fellow officers. This is why police corruption still exists today and in my opinion will always exist. However, I do not think it is as severe as when Serpico served in law enforcement where cops will wish ill towards others like when Serpico received cards in the hospital stating hopefully he

dies.

Serpico made an extremely tough decision; however, I feel Serpico made the right decision in sticking to his beliefs. I feel that when Serpico was shot it could have been prevented if individuals in leadership positions recognized what was occurring instead of disregarding the treatment he received. There were many reasons why individuals participated in illegal acts in this film, and when so many partake in the corruption it becomes an accepted behavior. It would be naive to believe that police corruption does not exist anymore; however, I feel it happens far less than seen in “Serpico” and that when officers chose to have the same beliefs as Serpico they are not harassed in the same manner portrayed in the film.