 | |
List Price: $14.98 | | Label: 20th Century Fox
Salesrank: 29992
Released: June 27, 2006 |
| Our Price: $3.84 |
| Used Price: $1.09 |
|
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
|
Editorial Review:
From five-time Oscar®-nominee Sidney Lumet (Serpico, Network, Dog Day Afternoon) comes the most hysterically funny testament to bad courtroom behavior since My Cousin Vinny! Vin Diesel (Saving Private Ryan) "gives a sensational performance" (The New York Times) in the true story of the most remarkable criminal trial in US history. Find Me Guilty proves beyond a reasonable doubt that justice has a strange sense of humor!
When police arrest twenty members of the Lucchese crime family, the authorities offer Jackie Dee DiNorscio (Diesel) a bargain: a shortened prison term if he'll testify against his own. But the wisecracking DiNorscio has other ideas. Refusing to cooperate, he decides to defend himself at his own trial... and proceeds to turn the courtroom upside-down in a hilarious fight that culminates in one of the most shocking verdicts in judicial history!
Description of Find Me Guilty:
Vin Diesel gives his best performance to date in Sidney Lumet's Find Me Guilty, a courtroom comedy-drama (based on the true story of Mafia soldier "Fat Jack" DiNorscio) about the longest criminal trial in U.S. history. Diesel plays Giacomo "Jackie Dee" DiNorscio, a loyal member of New Jersey's notorious Lucchese crime family, who's already serving a 30-year jail term when he's offered an opportunity to shorten his sentence if he agrees to testify against many of his closest friends. He refuses, choosing instead to defend himself in a 21-month courtroom trial that involves 20 other Mafia members, each with their own defense attorney, all brought to trial on 76 charges ranging from criminal conspiracy to narcotics trafficking. As the lead defense attorney (Peter Dinklage) and prosecutor (Linus Roache) guide the trial through a maze of legal triumphs and setbacks, Lumet (still going strong at age 81) turns this goombah gab-fest into the kind of edgy New York comedy that only he could direct, drawing heavily on his experience with such courtroom classics as The Verdict and 12 Angry Men. And while he's filled the screen with a marvelous supporting cast including Alex Rocco, Ron Silver (as the no-nonsense judge) and Annabella Sciorra, Lumet can't quite overcome the confined, theatrical nature of the material, much of it drawn directly from actual courtroom transcripts. Find Me Guilty lacks the dramatic impact of The Verdict, favoring instead the rich absurdity of the DiNorscio case and its equally outrageous outcome after the jury's surprisingly brief deliberation. This is comfortable territory for Lumet, and he brings out the best in his extensive cast – especially Diesel, who walks a fine line between courtroom shenanigans and fierce loyalty to his criminal clan.--Jeff Shannon
Find Me Guilty Reviews:
A Crime Court Room Drama with a Human Touch! 
2009-06-08 - If you like court room dramas that have both a crime and comedic element.
Vin Diesel and the cast will keep you entertained. I was surprised to see Diesel in a role that showed his acting skills rather than his rough guy skills. I believe it's a well made movie based on a real life court room drama.
Vin Diesel's loveable side
2009-03-01 - This Vin Diesel as a mobster courtroom comedy is surprisingly good. Diesel is funny and startlingly poignant as the main character, an unrepentant mobster who refuses to testify against his "boys," even when they hate him. Linus Roche(aka Thomas Wayne from Batman Begins) is great as the federal prosecutor, Peter Dinkladge brings his usual awesomeness as another defense attorney, and Ron Silver is stern but warm as the judge determined that everyone will get a fair trial. According to the movie most of the courtroom dialogue is direct lift from the transcripts of an actual mob trial, so the screenwriters got off easy in some ways, but it is written well enough to give us a bit of sympathy for Diesel's character. His boys, good or bad, love'em or hate'em, are all he has and if he turns on them he truly has nothing. The movie did surprise me by looking so low budget, obviously shot on lower end digital video cameras, but the movie isn't there to look flashy. Its a courtroom drama-edy, like Law & Order but funny. Sidney Lumet is getting up there in years, but he knows his way around courtroom movies and keeps this interesting throughout, but its Diesel's show all the way.
Movie 
2009-01-28 - An unexpected pleasure...Vin Diesel and all actors in this mob courtroom drama/comedy are awesome!!! Highly recommend it.
I'm Not A Gangster I'm A Gagster
2009-01-20 - Sidney Lumet has proved over his career that he knows his way around a courtroom drama. Early in his career he made 12 Angry Men; at a later point he made The Verdict now he turns his attention back to the court room with Find Me Guilty.
Loosely based on New York's attempt to bring down organized crime in the early 1980's Find Me Guilty tells the story of one of the longest trials in American history which ended in a unanimous victory for the defendants rather than the US Attorney. Vin Diesel plays Jackie DiNorsio one of the defendants who fed up with the services of his lawyer who just got Jackie a thirty year narcotics decides to represent himself.
The film, while not well received, provides an outstanding vehicle for Diesel to break away from his usual action role to take on a more developed character. The strength of the film comes in this portrayal as well as in the performances of the supporting cast which includes Alex Rocco as mob boss Nick Calabrese, Peter Dinklage as defense attorney Ben Klandis, Linus Roache as Prosecuter Sean Kierney and Ron Silver as Judge Sidney Finestein.
The standard resolution disc features a good transfer of the film but few real extras. There are some trailers and a short multipart feature called Conversations with Sidney Lumet. All in all this is a good film that did not get much of an audience during its short theatre run. It was nominated for the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.
Well worth a rental.
More Than Just A Great Movie
2008-03-15 - I won't write a lengthy review about the actors and whether or not they accurately portray the real life characters. Most of the other reviewers have already done that. I just think this is a great movie that rates right up ther with "The Godfather" and "GoodFellas". And if you've ever had any dealings with the Feds, you'll recognize the way this typically egotisitcal selfrighteous prosecutor would stop at nothing to get a conviction. You couldn't help pulling for these defendants, even though you know in your heart they're probably guilty. I enjoyed this movie even better the second time!
