Serpico

Al Pacino turns in an amazing Oscar-nominated performance in this police thriller based on the true story of a tough undercover New York cop who exposes corruption among his colleagues : and is treated as an outcast for his trouble. With strong support from John Randolph and Jack Kehoe, and directed with aplomb by Sidney Lumet, whose techniques bring a gritty realism to the screen and emphasise the shocking similarities between the crooked lawmen and those they're supposed to be bringing to justice. Gripping stuff, and worth watching for Pacino alone