I read this in Lynch with FT today and thought it was interesting — so I’m logging it in.
I have no idea who Ed Balls is but the name seems like it would be great in a comic screenplay.
I’d never seen Serpico (it’s on Sundance channel) but I’ve been told that anytime a film shows the ending at the beginning of the film — they’ve edited it that way because the story wasn’t working. They show you the ending to pump the story — pull you in. I liked the dialogue in Serpico — people standing around saying: I’m a painter but I don’t paint. I’m a dancer but I don’t dance. And Serpico says: I’m a cop and I work for the police department.
Would it have been better if his name was Ed Balls vs. Serpico? Not sure. It probably wouldn’t have starred Pacino… The history is unwritten?