Serpico

It is the late sixties, a time of intense social and generational upheaval. Into this maelstrom came a man who broke the mold. A working class, Brooklyn-born, Italian cop with long hair, a beard, and a taste for operaand ballet. Most of all, Frank Serpico was a man who couldn't be silenced -- or bought.

For years a culture of corruption had pervaded the New York City Police Department. Police payoffs, protection, and shakedowns of gambling rackets and drug dealers were common practice. The so-called bluecode of silence protected the minority of crooked cops from the sanction of the majority.