Vin Diesel gives the best acting performance of his career and transforms his “action hero” shtick to portray Giacomo "Jackie Dee" DiNorscio in Sidney Lumet's courtroom comedy/drama Find Me Guilty.
Based on a true story, the film was largely overlooked at the box office - it only pulled in about $2 million in the U.S. and cost about $13 million to make. It features some solid performances from its cast; good direction from the five time Oscar nominee Lumet; a music score that keeps the film feeling light and funny; and a steady pace that covers the longest Mafia trial in U.S. history in just 125 minutes.
The film opens with mobster/drug dealer Jackie DiNorscio (who died while the movie was being filmed) getting shot several times by his cousin. From there it moves quickly covering some of the backstory. Jackie refuses to “rat” on his cousin for the shooting; gets arrested (while on bail) for selling drugs; gets 30 years on the drug charge; and then has to go to trial (along with 20 other mobsters in the crime family) for 76 charges ranging from criminal conspiracy to narcotics trafficking. Because of his past dealings with defense lawyers, Jackie decides to defend himself, and a funny “fish out of water” type scenario begins as he bumbles his way through the trial.
Of course, this makes Jackie a wild card for the judge, prosecuting attorney, and the team of defense attorneys representing the other 19 mobsters. They don’t know how handle Jackie or his comedian/clown act that seems to be winning over the jury every time he opens his mouth. What makes the courtroom drama even funnier is that most of the movie’s court scene dialogue is taken straight from the trial transcripts.
He is a gagster not a gangster
Over the course of more than 627 days, Jackie (who refers to himself as a gagster rather than a gangster) handles the government’s witness (including the cousin who shot him) with his own style of “speaking from the heart.” This manages to completely frustrate the lead prosecutor (Linus Roache) and amuse the lead defense attorney (Peter Dinklage). The judge (played by Ron Silver) even seems to be taken by Jackie at times, and has to balance the no-nonsense attitude needed for the trial with the carnival that Jackie tends to turn it into every time he questions a witness. The outcome of the trial is in the history books, but I won’t spoil it in the review for those who don’t already know.
Although the film features solid performances from an ensemble cast of character actors, it falls on Diesel’s shoulders to carry the movie. His character is larger than life and has to be loveable despite the fact that he is a killer and a drug dealer. Diesel (who underwent a transformation for the film by gaining 30 pounds and sporting make-up and a bad wig) pulls the performance off quite well. At times, the actor falters some, but you can clearly see this was a role that he cared about getting right. He is funny and entertaining – which is how the real DiNorscio was described.
Roache, Silver and Dinklage also do an extremely good job as playing the straight men to Diesel’s wisecracking DiNorscio. You find yourself hating Roache – even though he is the one trying to put away the CRIMINALS – and rooting for the mobsters.
The film does have some faults – mostly in the way it fails to develop much of the cast other than Diesel, Roache, Silver and Dinklage. There are some glimpses into DiNorscio’s home life (we see his daughter early on, his father, and his ex-wife), but for the most part the film focuses squarely on the trial. This isn’t a problem, but it would have been nice to see more of DiNorscio’s past. Also, the rest of the mobsters are not too well defined – other than the head of the family who doesn’t seem to care too much for DiNorscio.
The DVD is also extremely light on special features consisting only of a short interview with Lumet where he gives quick answers to various questions ranging from what the real DiNorscio was like to how the movie’s court dialogue was close to the court transcripts. This is an interesting interview, but is really short. The film tanked at the box office, but it still would have been nice to see more special features – from commentary by Lumet and Diesel to news pieces on the actual trial.
Diesel makes the character larger than life and entertaining
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with Find Me Guilty. I had heard the film received harsh criticism when it was released, but I enjoyed it. Diesel is good in the film, and shows that he can act. The movie takes the longest criminal trial in history and turns it into a nicely paced comedy/drama that will entertain and deliver some good laughs. I would recommend the movie to anyone wanting something light or anyone that enjoys courtroom dramas.
Find Me Guilty is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
Your Talkback on this Story