In 1970 the New York City Police Department was rocked by the allegations of corruption made by one ordinary patrolman, Frank Serpico. The 1973 Hollywood movie Serpico starring Al Pacino immortalises Frank’s ten-year battle to hold the police force accountable. He was finally vindicated when a New York Times article exposed his story of widespread police corruption and initiated an independent investigation, the Knapp Commission. It is here that the movie ends, with Frank a mythical hero cop. But the fight against corruption came at a heavy price for Frank Serpico as he suffered intense mental trauma from a revenge attempt on his life. Forced to flee his country to live in exile in Europe for over twenty years , Frank lived as a recluse until new claims of NYPD corruption forced him out of the shadows in the late 1990s. This is the real story of the man behind the movie myth.
