blanche-2
I've reviewed 3700+ films on this site, and I have seen a good many more than that.There are some movies that just don't hold my interest. If I rent them or tune in to watch them, I find myself doing something else while they're on. What do these films have in common? They're lousy."Find Me Guilty," a 2006 film directed by Sidney Lumet, is a long movie that is beautifully cast, has a strong script, and a great director. It's a triple threat. Is it the greatest film ever made? No. Did it hold my interest? Yes, definitely.Surprisingly, the star is Vin Diesel, an action star who turns in the performance of his career, guided by a director who helped him hone his performance. As Jackie DiNorscio, a gangster on trial along with about 20 of his confederates on 76 RICO violations, he is simply fantastic.This is the true story of the longest Mafia trial in history, lasting 1-3/4 years after a ten-year investigation and with 850 exhibits shown. DiNorscio was already serving a sentence; he fired his attorney and served as his own lawyer.It's Diesel's performance that carries the film, and in real life, it carried the trial, too, as he charms the pants off of the jury with his jokes, his charm, and his sincerity, to the disgust of the prosecutor (Linus Roache) who is desperate to get his case separated from the rest of the trial.The standout besides Diesel was the passionate performance of Linus Roache, a wonderful actor, familiar to me from "Law and Order," who brought intensity and power to his role as prosecutor.The other actors in the film, all very good, were Alex Rocco, Ron Silver, Peter Dinklage, Richard Portnow, Annabella Sciorra, and Raul Esparza.A director who can keep one's interest during a long film is one thing; but a director who knows how to cast, who sees the potential in actors who are not obvious choices -- that's quite another. Lumet could do both and mine both the humor and drama in what must have been a real circus of a trial.
g-bodyl
Find Me Guilty is actually a really entertaining and sometimes funny mafia film. Even though it touches on the subject of mafia and gangsters, director Sidney Lumet takes the right approach by giving the film a lighter tone than most mafia films. He also rightfully casted Vin Diesel in the lead role, who blown me away with his acting abilities here. I liked this film as I found it to be funny and that is was a truthful movie in the sense that most of the dialogue were the actual words used in the real courtroom scenes.Sidney Lumet's film is about the longest criminal trial in American history. This is about a mobster named Jackie DiNorscio who decides to stand trial instead of ratting out his friends and family, despite a prior 30-year sentence. The thing is that he decides to act as his own lawyer to hilarious results.Of course we all know Vin Diesel as the action macho man from the Fast and the Furious franchise, but of this film proves anything, it's that he knows how to be funny as well as dramatic. I was impressed with his character and despite his flaws, we can see that he is as human as any of us, even if he is a criminal. Peter Dinklage has some great scenes as a fellow lawyer for the mafia. Ron Silver made a great judge and Linus Roache played the swarmy prosecutor role just perfectly.Overall, Find Me Guilty is a better than average film and despite the entire film taking place in a courtroom, the film was entertaining. There is laughter and there are tears to be had because of the stellar cast. It's good that Sidney Lumet had experience with a courtroom as he directed the fine 12 Angry Men nearly half a century earlier. But as for mafia films, this is an underseen gem. I rate this film 9/10.
bowmanblue
Okay, if you're a fan of Vin Diesel you'll probably be expecting him to do his usual busting heads and driving fast cars routine. However, I get the impression he took this film for the reason that it doesn't include any of that.In fact, 99% of the film is set entirely in the courtroom. 'Find me Guilty' is based on a true story of the longest Mafia trial in American history and Vin Diesel plays the man accused of... well, pretty much every crime going. He decides to represent himself and what follows is everything from black comedy to drama.If you like Vin Diesel, you'll probably think that this film proves that he's a real actor and is more than just a hard man who can punch people. He is the highlight of the film, however, if you don't like him, you – like a fair few other detractors on the Internet – will pour scorn on his performance.I'm no die hard fan of Vin Diesel, but I thought he did really well as the fast-talking gangster accuse due to spend the rest of his life behind bars. It's one of those films that I enjoyed watching, but, based on the fact that the whole film is just people talking, I'm not sure I'd want to watch it again for quite a while.Action-packed, it is not. But fair play to Vin Diesel for trying to do more than just be cool (even if his hair piece is a little off-putting!).
ddowney-1
The only good thing about this movie is Louie Prima singing "When Your Smilin'"Ron Silver plays a good heavy as the judge but the rest of it so bad. Why even make a movie about this? Are they just trying to tell the truth or are they saying that it's OK to be a gangster? I guess to be a member of a jury in New Jersey (and in California) you have to be dead from the neck up. Also to be a prosecutor in New Jersey, you have to be the same I guess. The truth is that the gangsters were the smart ones in this incident and they never got out of grade school. Avoid this movie like the plague.
AD
