Find Me Guilty
3/4
Starring: Vin Diesel, Peter Dinklage, Linus Roache, Ron Silver, Alex Rocco, Annabella Sciorra
Rated R for Strong Language and Some Violence
Truth, as they say, is stranger than fiction...
That certainly applies here. A mobster turned the largest criminal trial in US history into a farce when he acted as his own attorney and played the part like a stand-up comic. Equally hard to believe is that the man who is the focus of the film, Jackie DiNoscio, is played by Vin Diesel, the Arnold Schwarzenegger of the 2000's. Stranger still, is that he does an excellent job.
Jackie DiNorscio (Diesel) is a low-level mobster for the Lucchese crime family. He is shot one day by his cousin, Tony Compagna (Raul Esparza), but refuses to press charges. Tony doesn't know this, so he runs to the FBI and spills the beans on the entire family. They're all hauled into court for a massive trial. Jackie, who under a 30 year prison sentence for an unrelated charge, believes his lawyer is useless so he decides to act as his own attorney. The risks are huge (the charges fall under the RICO act), but he decides that the best defense is to be a smart-ass.
Most biopics fudge the truth, if not make it up outright, to make it a better story. Not so with "Find Me Guilty," which uses real transcripts from the trial to create the dialogue. It's an interesting approach, and it gives the film a sort of documentary approach. This turns out to be a double-edge sword. On one hand, it makes us feel like a fly on the wall witness. On the other, it keeps the audience at an arm's distance. Characters remain undeveloped, with little vignettes fleshing out the "behind the scenes" stuff doing little to alleviate this. Also problematic is its lack of a focus and a clear identity. Much of what happened in the trial had to be excised (a two year trial is cut down to two hours), but the plot trajectory is uncertain and not well paced. Director Sidney Lumet also doesn't have a clear idea of what he wants this film to be. Is it a comedy? A drama? An underdog story? A feel good movie about a likable scoundrel? It really tries to be everything and ends up being none of them.
Vin Diesel has always had charisma and screen presence. But everyone generally underestimates his talent as an actor. His debut 1997 feature, "Strays," which he wrote, directed and co-produced, got the attention of Steven Spielberg, who put him into his WWII classic "Saving Private Ryan" and jump started his career. Think about it. Could a person really play the creepy anti-hero Richard Riddick, the badass street racer Dominic Toretto, and a fatuous mobster on screen presence alone? Not a chance. What's impressive is just how good he is. The role demands a lot of range and changes from his muscular appearance (he gained 30 pounds and wore a wig for the role) and he never misses a beat. His support, the underused Peter Dinklage (in one of his best performances), Linus Roache, and the late Ron Silver, are all terrific and each has a stand out scene. But this movie is all Vin Diesel, and he hits it right out of the park.
Really, the film is closer to a misfire than an outright success. But it's worth seeing for Vin Diesel alone. He's terrific. You'll never look at Groot the same way again. I guarantee it.
Starring: Vin Diesel, Peter Dinklage, Linus Roache, Ron Silver, Alex Rocco, Annabella Sciorra
Rated R for Strong Language and Some Violence
Truth, as they say, is stranger than fiction...
That certainly applies here. A mobster turned the largest criminal trial in US history into a farce when he acted as his own attorney and played the part like a stand-up comic. Equally hard to believe is that the man who is the focus of the film, Jackie DiNoscio, is played by Vin Diesel, the Arnold Schwarzenegger of the 2000's. Stranger still, is that he does an excellent job.
Jackie DiNorscio (Diesel) is a low-level mobster for the Lucchese crime family. He is shot one day by his cousin, Tony Compagna (Raul Esparza), but refuses to press charges. Tony doesn't know this, so he runs to the FBI and spills the beans on the entire family. They're all hauled into court for a massive trial. Jackie, who under a 30 year prison sentence for an unrelated charge, believes his lawyer is useless so he decides to act as his own attorney. The risks are huge (the charges fall under the RICO act), but he decides that the best defense is to be a smart-ass.
Most biopics fudge the truth, if not make it up outright, to make it a better story. Not so with "Find Me Guilty," which uses real transcripts from the trial to create the dialogue. It's an interesting approach, and it gives the film a sort of documentary approach. This turns out to be a double-edge sword. On one hand, it makes us feel like a fly on the wall witness. On the other, it keeps the audience at an arm's distance. Characters remain undeveloped, with little vignettes fleshing out the "behind the scenes" stuff doing little to alleviate this. Also problematic is its lack of a focus and a clear identity. Much of what happened in the trial had to be excised (a two year trial is cut down to two hours), but the plot trajectory is uncertain and not well paced. Director Sidney Lumet also doesn't have a clear idea of what he wants this film to be. Is it a comedy? A drama? An underdog story? A feel good movie about a likable scoundrel? It really tries to be everything and ends up being none of them.
Vin Diesel has always had charisma and screen presence. But everyone generally underestimates his talent as an actor. His debut 1997 feature, "Strays," which he wrote, directed and co-produced, got the attention of Steven Spielberg, who put him into his WWII classic "Saving Private Ryan" and jump started his career. Think about it. Could a person really play the creepy anti-hero Richard Riddick, the badass street racer Dominic Toretto, and a fatuous mobster on screen presence alone? Not a chance. What's impressive is just how good he is. The role demands a lot of range and changes from his muscular appearance (he gained 30 pounds and wore a wig for the role) and he never misses a beat. His support, the underused Peter Dinklage (in one of his best performances), Linus Roache, and the late Ron Silver, are all terrific and each has a stand out scene. But this movie is all Vin Diesel, and he hits it right out of the park.
Really, the film is closer to a misfire than an outright success. But it's worth seeing for Vin Diesel alone. He's terrific. You'll never look at Groot the same way again. I guarantee it.
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