Fans wish to learn who the real Serpico was in Netflix’s Rebel Ridge and are wondering if Deputy Sims was that person. The identity of Serpico becomes a lingering mystery in the newly released action-thriller from the moment that name is uttered. Terry Richmond coins the name for the police station informant at Shelby Springs helping court clerk Summer McBride gather evidence of Chief Sandy Burnne’s corruption. Richmond coins the term because of McBride’s refusal to disclose the identity of her informant.
So, who was Serpico in Rebel Ridge? Was Deputy Sims Serpico in Rebel Ridge? Here is the answer.
Was Deputy Sims Serpico in Rebel Ridge?
No, Deputy Jessica Sims was not Serpico in Rebel Ridge.
Instead, Serpico’s real identity is David Denman‘s Officer Evan Marston. This is rather surprising, as Marston is the very cop who detained Terry at the beginning of the Netflix film and seized his money. However, at the end of the film, Marston, revealing himself to be Summer’s informant, joins Terry and Summer’s side. He protects them from Chief Sandy Burnne and his allies’ wrath, finally taking a stand against the corruption he had been abetting, due to being torn between doing the right thing and following Burnne’s corruption.
Terry originally assumed Officer Jessica Sims was Serpico. This was because of how she helped him escape police custody at the beginning of the film. Additionally, Sims being the only black person and woman in a department of racist and corrupt white men fueled his suspicions. However, his suspicions broke like glass when Sims turned against him. As such, he decided to arrest him in the film’s third act.
Terry later began suspecting Marston was Serpico from the moment the latter prevented the former’s murder at Officer Steve’s hand. Moreover, Marston’s honorable actions of attempting to expose Sandy Burnne’s attempted murder of a fellow officer and saving Summer’s life after Steve forcibly drugged her fueled Terry’s suspicions before the aforementioned dramatic reveal.
The name Serpico has significance in history. Frank Serpico is an American retired New York Police Department detective. As a whistleblower, he played a key role in exposing the NYPD’s corruption. This eventually contributed to an investigation by the Knapp Commission. Serpico’s tale was dramatized in 1973’s eponymous film, starring Al Pacino in the lead role.
