I watched Serpico but I wasn’t blow away by it. It’s weird too — when you think that it’s a 31 year old film… I’ve never been a big Al Pacino fan — and Serpico didn’t convert me. What I did see was, ‘The Merchant of Venice’ (2004) directed by Michael Radford. Pacino was cast as Shylock and cast perfectly. That was a beautiful film. No one is better than Shakespeare. Full stop.
Casting, can be tricky. If you don’t get your first choice, do you go with the second? Or third? Film-making is monetarist to some degree: the tap is either on or off for financing. In a lot of cases, the production may not have the luxury of waiting until the first acting choice is available. Especially, if you’re sourcing independent financing.
Kinda like getting a haircut. You make an appointment. Then wait your turn. You get it cut. You pay. You leave.
I’m going to stick to Movie Night and 18 year old guitars.