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Search 713 spoiler-free recommendations from 1916 to 2026. Filter by the night you want—not the list you’re supposed to finish.

Direct film viewShowing master rank #208 on its own—not above the ranking.
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Artwork
DirectorAll directors

Most represented · 6+ films

More recurring directors · 3–5 films54
All directors · surname A–Z438
ActorAll actors

Most represented actors

Big Three membership
Major award winners

1 selected film

Master Rank balances Greatness, Engagement, and Ease. Sort by Greatness for the artistic-canon view.

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View Serpico film page
Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List

Spoiler-free premise

New York officer Frank Serpico refuses routine bribes and struggles to expose corruption inside his own police department.

Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free

Idealistic patrolman Frank Serpico discovers that bribery and protection payments are normalized throughout the New York Police Department. His refusal to participate isolates him from partners and superiors as he searches for officials willing to investigate.

Why it belongs

Changing precincts, street texture, and Pacino's increasingly isolated body make Serpico's institutional corruption lived and dangerous.

Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case

Under Sidney Lumet, location shooting, crowded rooms, plain procedural exchanges, and Serpico's changing hair and clothing chart years of resistance—Pacino's nervous directness shows integrity as exhausting daily behavior rather than a clean heroic pose.

Major award record

Metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20
Golden Globes1 win1974 · official film record ↗
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama1974 · Al Pacinoofficial film record ↗

Totals include every recorded competitive win. Only Picture or top-film honors, Direction, Screenplay, and lead or supporting performances are named.

Good for
Date NightFilm Club
Descriptive guidance derived from rating, genre, runtime, mood, and GCML scores.

Institutional reference ranks

Sight & Sound—IMDb Top 250—AFI 100—
Reference metadata only · not part of the 40/40/20 score

Great Cinema Master List scores

Greatness8.7
Engagement9.2
Ease9.0

English · R
Narrative Feature
Mood: Tense & Absorbing