Review of Find Me Guilty (2006) by Sasy N — 07 Jul 2012

Sidney Lumet returns to the courtroom with this dramedy based on (one of) the longest criminal trials in history ever. It's a fictionalized take, however the film does claim that the bulk of the dialogue comes from actual court testimony, and that's cool, especially if it's actually true and, you know, not a Coenesque joke.

While the film is about the major organized crime trial of the 1980s, the focus specifically concerns the events as seen through the perspective of Giacomo "Jackie Dee" DiNorscio, one of the defendants who decided to be his own lawyer...and turn the entire proceeding upside down.

Like Dog Day Afternoon, this starts off really funny, but then becomes really serious, although this one didn't come off as bleak and stark with the mood change as that one did. ALso, the film is predominately pro-mafia, which, isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it wouldn't have hurt to have made it a little more even handed, especially when the prosecutor comes off as rather cartoony.

Where the film is at its best though, is with the acting. I personally knew that Vin Diesel really could act when given the right material and director (ie Saving Private Ryan), but this is his show all the way through. If all you think he's capable of is Xander Cage or Dominic Toretto, you need to see this. He really can pull off the emotional and dramatic heavy lifting, and the lighter material with the wiseguy hamming it up really sings too. Also, Ron Silver is a joy as Judge Finestein, and Peter Dinklage is great as the defense attorney who tries his best to keep Jackie wrangled.

I may be somewhat inflating my grade, but I can't help it. This is really entertaining, and, since I wasn't too famailiar with the actual events (surprisingly) it's quite informative, too. Maybe not the best from Lumet, but definitely worth a solid recommendation.