User reviews

I had the chance to see the movie at the Berlin Film Festival (actually I saw it twice), and I must say I really loved it. Even during the second screening I still thought it was interesting and funny.

Granted, I like both Sidney Lumet and Vin Diesel so I may be a bit biased, but the audience in the cinema seemed to like the movie too, because after both screenings they applauded.

The movie is a courtroom drama based on real events. The film depicts the longest Mafia trial in NYC history, and most of the dialog is taken from the original records of the trial. In 1987-88, some 20 members of the Lucchese crime family, each with his own lawyer, were indicted on some 76 charges ranging from criminal conspiracy to narcotics trafficking. The trial went on for 21 months.

The film focuses on Jack DiNorscio, one of the accused mobsters (played by Vin Diesel), who decides to defend himself. Even though he spent half his life in jail he doesn't know much about legal proceedings and mostly speaks what comes into his mind thus sometimes making fun of the whole trial.

Actually I was quite skeptical if Diesel could pull it off. C'mon, we all know him from some more or less mediocre action movies, so when I heard he was cast in a Sidney Lumet movie, I was quite surprised, and therefore even more eager to see him in this film. And yes, he is good. He gained some weight for this role and has hair (a wig), so he looks quite different from what you're used to.

During the Berlinale press conference Sidney Lumet said about Vin Diesel: "People make the great mistake with action heroes. They think that because generally the plots are simpler and their behavior is one-note that they can't act. But most of the time they can." And Diesel shows that he can act. With his charismatic persona he manages to carry the movie pretty easily. He has to talk a lot during the film which comes across very believable and authentic, and he shows a wide range of emotions from happiness to anger to mourning to being embarrassed to whatever.

The overall acting is really good, Linus Roache shines in his role as prosecutor Kierney. Contrary to his "Necromonger" role in "The Chronicles of Riddick" he gets a chance here to really show his talent. The other supporting cast is also really fantastic. I'd like to point out Peter Dinklage as lead defense attorney Ben Klandis, and Annabella Sciorra ("The Sopranos") who is really great in her single scene as DiNorscio's ex-wife. In this scene she goes through all the emotions from anger to frustration to jealousy. The other supporting cast consists of New York theater talent, as well as faces familiar to anyone who watches crime shows on the tube.

The film itself takes place almost entirely in the court room, and sometimes it drags a bit although it is not boring. It depends solely on talking, there is no action whatsoever in the movie. As DiNorscio joked around quite a bit during the trial, the film too is pretty funny in parts, and the audience in the cinema laughed quite a bit.

All in all I recommend this movie. But I have to warn the action fans: you might not like this film as it is a total change in comparison to the movies Vin Diesel has done until now.

I'm sure most of the comments about this movie will center around Diesel's amazing performance, but I'd like to focus on the overall quality of this film. From the time the movie gets to the courtroom, the true beauty of this film shines. Every character from the judge to the prosecutors were all well casted and their roles well defined and executed.

My one concern is why is it I always leave movies with organized crime themes rooting for or embracing the criminals. Their life style certainly is not most people would wish to emulate but yet most films which portray them don't manage to tap into the conscious citizen in all of us, somehow the writers and producers undermine your sense of right and wrong and render you powerless to pass negative judgement on the criminal.

With that aside, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and welcome feedback on my commetns regarding my rant.

I just saw this last night in Seattle. What drew me in was Sidney Lumet and when it started saying that all courtroom dialog was direct from transcripts of this trial, I sat forward.

This turns out to be a classic New York Lumet film with all the trimmings. Vin does some of his best work to date (and I actually like some of his other films. This is not the all in the head of the writer trick - the transcript is the real heart of the film and so the key is truly bring to life the real words. That's not a simple thing. Lumet has the right balance to make it all work.

For those that would ignore or wait for the DVD, take a chance and see with an audience. You do not get this kind of film from a great director of Lumet's caliber every day.

We're all familiar with Vin Diesel being the new action hero, with his buffed muscular body, bald pate, gruff voice and his high octane movies like Fast and the Furious and xXx. He took a different path into comedy with The Pacifier, and now, into drama with Find Me Guilty. How did he fair?

Pretty good, in spite of the focus being on his new look hairdo and belly (ok, so it's prosthetics and makeup assisted). Playing a real life mobster Jack DiNorscio, and the true story of his defense of himself in court without a lawyer, in an extremely long trial spanning 21 months, where it's the US Government versus the Lucchese crime family.

The movie started off promisingly with a tense scene classic of any mafia movies, that of a hit job, though it's laced with some unexpected humour. Alas, just as you thought the movie will go uphill from then on, it actually stalled and cruised along, before tapering from the halfway mark until the end.

Diesel as DiNorscio deftly balanced dramatics with flair for comedy, labelling himself as a "gagster" rather than a "gangster", inevitably forming a bond with the jurors of the case, getting into the skin of the prosecutors and having a hard time convincing his fellow chums that his loyalties still lie with the family, that he'll never rat them out or knowingly jeopardize their chances in court. However, amongst his buddies, he fared the worst, having to defend himself in court and go home to his jail cell, where he's still serving time. It's a bit like doing your all for your family, but yet experiencing a non-reciprocal feeling from them.

You probably won't care much for the other characters, consisting of many minor role hoodlums and their numerous legal representatives. Perhaps the only other role having prominence is Ron Silver's Judge Finestein, who has to precede over this gruelling cast and at the same time reining in DiNorscio's antics.

Although this movie boasts the using of actual court transcripts for its dialogue, there are not enough compelling arguments, objections, challenges and square offs. Rather, the movie zooms by quite quickly to the basic significant courtroom sessions - it's obvious you can't cover 21 months worth of material in 2 hours.

So for those eager to watch top-notch courtroom drama, you might go away a little disappointed, but if you buy into Vin Diesel's charm, and of course for Vin Diesel fans, you might go away enjoying every moment of his screen presence.

I went to a screening in NYC this week, and Vin's performance knocked the socks off of everyone in attendance.

The physical transformation was astonishing. He gained a lot of weight for this role, and many of the people around me (myself included) did not recognize him when he first appeared on screen. While watching the film, I totally forgot that I was watching Vin Diesel. He really became the character for me.

Annabella Sciorra is another actor I will never look at the same way again. She had exactly one scene in the movie and I thought the screen was going to burst into flames or something. It was really that hot. She and Vin barely touched each other ... didn't even so much as kiss ... and I swear the entire audience needed a cigarette afterward.

The entire cast was first-rate. Every single one of them hit the ball out of the park, no exceptions.

The 2+ hours of running time went by like 15 minutes, and I sincerely did not want the movie to end.

There was a Q&A session after the screening, and Vin was humble, funny, personable and sometimes boyish in his interactions with the audience.

I wasn't a big Vin fan before this movie, but now I can't wait to see him in Hannibal. This guy isn't just an action star ... he's a very talented, dedicated and capable actor.

The mobster Jackie DiNorscio (Vin Diesel) is shot by his own cousin at home while in probation but survives. Later he is arrested dealing drugs and sentenced to thirty years in prison. The prosecutor Sean Kierney (Linus Roache) proposes a deal to Jackie, immediately releasing him if he testifies against the Lucchese family and other mafia families but Jackie does not accept to rat his friends that he loves. When the trial begins, he asks the judge Finestein (Ron Silver) to defend himself without the assistance of a lawyer.

"Find Me Guilty" is a good movie of courtroom, directed by a veteran expert in the theme, Sidney Lumet, which also directed the awesome "The Verdict". Vin Diesel has a great performance and is unrecognizable in the role of a charismatic gangster, actually a "gagster". However, the screenplay of the longest trial in USA seems to be manipulative, creating a great empathy of the viewers with the "nice" gangsters, while the obstinate prosecutor is presented as an evil man. I do not know who sponsored or produced this film and in spite of based on a true event, has a bad message in the end. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Sob Suspeita" ("Under Suspicion")

When I first heard of Sidney Lumet's unorthodox casting lead for this film, I was intrigued because Van Diesel's selection was indeed a daring move. There was little doubt Lumet would err, and he has truly come up with a sensational film and presented us with an outstanding turn by Diesel. The film would have worked and been at least a decent movie because of Lumet's expertise. Getting Diesel to take command of the screen, channel the spirit of the infamous defendant to ultimately convince the audience in both the movie and the theater audience that we were witnessing a rather unique individual.

The success of the film hangs on every single line that Diesel delivers. There is conviction and sincerity in his delivery. Here is a character that has a tarnished background, ultimately finds an outlet for a new perspective in life, and runs with it. Eventually, we get to discover he is a more powerful force than we expected.

Lumet once again shapes the film with his assured hand, allowing the actors to shine in their respective roles, not interfering with dialog that is practically taken from original transcripts by adding over-dramatic touches or unnecessary inspirational music. There are long silences when we are allowed to reflect on what is taking place in front of us. We see a situation change, witness how the players moves are changed because of unexpected twists in the story, and never is the intensity of true emotions and the power of relationships diluted by a false note. There is a superb scene between Diesel and his ex wife, in a great performance by Sciorra that is both incredibly moving and sexy. These are real people with overpowering feelings and passionate exchanges, and it all comes through because of these two performers' chemistry and electrifying delivery.

This is a film that will probably divide its audiences, depending on what you think of the defendant and his connections, but most people will probably agree that a star has been born, and with the support of a masterful director, we can see that he deserves to have a long and fruitful career in front of him. Many people heaped praise on Hoffman not too long ago. I felt Diesel outdid Hoffman because this time the gimmick and the make up felt apart by the soulful approach of a real actor.

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!).

Great performance by Vin Diesel in here. I always just thought of him as an actor who did not have the ability to take on a non-action leading role. Wow did he prove me wrong here. Find Me Guilty was really a revelation in itself and for Diesel.

The acting like I just said was great from Vin Diesel. Diesel has shown in the past some great supporting performances. With this movie he clearly showed that he can give a real acting performance. The way he displayed his character as a loud mouth, slick talking mafia man was just so genuine and real. He made me laugh every five minutes and still was able to draw me into the movie as a serious character. The supporting performances were nice here to from Peter Dinklage and Alex Rocco.

The directing was very good if not great as well. When it comes to any film involving court Sidney Lumet is the man who should direct it. This is the man who directed 12 Angry Men and The Verdict which are probably the two of the top five court movies ever. This time though he is able to perfectly balance the comedy and drama of this movie to make this film very engaging and exciting to watch. Sidney Lumet once again proves to me at least why he is one of the most creative and best movie directors ever.

The writing was perfect for this movie. In a way the movie was making fun of itself which is always nice to see in these type of comedies. Together with Diesel the writing made for some many laugh-out-loud scenes. Sidney Lumet with his directing and writing really is able to show that a real-life courtroom drama can realistically funny too.

My advice is to definitely watch this movie if you have not. It is not a superficial meaningless movie and believe it or not is a little inspiring. Creativity in movies at its best.

...and it is an acceptable one as well. Vin Diesel does make a weird and uncharacteristic role, the story is based on a true fact, so they can't really change too much, only dramatize a little.

However, the pretenses of the movie are all wrong. The things said in the commercials, all lies. Yes, it is one of the longest US trials ever, but that's because they decided to prosecute a whole lot of people, each of them having a lawyer (so in reality Jackie played just a role, not the lead), for 76 counts. Any jury forced to sit there and listen to lawyers for more than six hundred days hates the government. Then the comedy is not that great, the film is funny from time to time, but not especially.

Reading between the lines you see that the character of Vin Diesel was more related to the one played by Al Pacino in Donnie Brasco and indeed, the movies seem to flow from the same source. They even seem too long after three quarters of the time has passed :)

But overall it was a good movie. A script that is original because it takes from real life, good acting, the music was a bit too corny for me, but OK. It truly is a courtroom drama, and as hard it should have been to push almost 21 months in two hours of a movie, they did it. Just don't expect too much.

Vin Diesel playing the part of a mobster. I know that's hard to believe. But, he did. And, he did a credible job. This story is based on true events about the mob on trial in New York for doing bad things with Vin Diesel as Giacomo "Jackie Dee" DiNorscio who defends himself in court. A mobster with a sixth grade education is presented as doing a better job at defending himself than the lawyers representing eight-or-so other bad guys. I'm not a Diesel fan since he normally plays himself in movies and his acting ability seemed limited played a part made for his acting ability. This story is presented well and acted well by the usual bad guys you might see in all gangster movies. This story is worth the viewing time.

I have never particularly cared one way or the other about Vin Diesel as an actor. I never loved nor hated him and his work. However, after seeing "Find Me Guilty" I found myself really respecting him and his craft. He and this film were very compelling.

The story is about the life and trial of Jackie DiNorscio, a lower level mobster who was prosecuted along with a huge group of other co-conspirators in what turned out to be the longest trial in US history...nearly two years long!! And, during he course of this trial based on the RICO statute, each defendant ended up having their own lawyers...except for DiNorscio...who, insanely, decided to defend himself! What?! Some seemingly dim New Jersey mobster defending himself?!

The film amazed me because although I don't like mobster films at all, I was mesmerized by the story...mostly because it's supposedly true. And, oddly, Diesel made you almost like the guy...almost. His performance was very compelling...and well worth seeing.

By the way, if you are concerned about adult content, there is a lot of very harsh language but not much else. Very little violence, no nudity and only a bit that might make parents feel uncomfortable about letting their kids or mother watch the movie. Interesting from start to finish and never dull.

The movie had a really great script; it was funny, dramatic and touching. I was really surprised by Vin Diesel's performance, I wasn't expecting him to pull it off. I think Jackie D himself, his personality and his words helped Vin a lot there. I was also impressed by Raúl Esparza as Tony. I've seen him on Broadway and I have been wowed by his stage performances. I wasn't sure if he could make the transition, but he was the perfect paranoid junkie. The only problems I had with the movie are with tiny details like extras dressed in 2006 fashions and flat screen monitors on desks. Knowing that the trial began in the early 90's, it caught my attention and stuff like the computer monitors shouldn't grab attention. Overall, "Find Me Guilty" is a great movie, and I highly recommend it.

This is the story of Giacomo "Jackie Dee" DiNorscio, who found himself facing charges under the various Federal conspiracy laws along with 21 other defendants and decided to defend himself. Jackie's lack of court room experience turns the whole trial on its head.

Sidney Lumet strikes again. Once more the master of cinema is stalking the halls of justice in order to tell us a very compelling legal story. Its a great story that's masterfully told (for the most part) and shows us what happens when a regular guy takes his own destiny in his hands. Vin Diesel is excellent as DiNorscio. We care for him in ways we probably shouldn't and root for him even though we really do know he's not a nice guy. Equally as good as Diesel is Peter Dinklage who plays one of the attorneys who is at first annoyed by what DiNorscio does in court and then amazed as he realizes that he actually is scoring points with his unorthodox unschooled style. While these two stand out the rest of the cast is pretty much note perfect as well.

The movies one problem is that its too short. This is a movie that essentially compresses three years of events into two hours and a good deal of material is cut out. Don't get me wrong there is no problems following the course of events, nor is there any problem with becoming emotionally invested in what happens, the problem is that there are way too many characters, some of which, like the prosecutors, who are given the short end of the stick. In the case of the prosecutors I had the sense that there was more to them and what they went through. As it stands now they are simply a chorus that shows up from time to time to set something in motion, they aren't real characters. At other times I had no idea which defendant or witness they were talking about since I couldn't keep who was who straight. Its not fatal to the film, but you get the feeling that this should be an hour or two longer since the film seems to bleed off the screen and into a real place.

Definitely worth seeing, as pretty much any film that Sidney Lumet is worth seeing.

It's amazing to see certain actors working with a director like the veteran Sidney Lumet (if it's appropriate to use for him who knows, though this is his latest film, at 81, over a near 50 year career), and see really intriguing, special things happening on screen. Actors like Pacino, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, and Peter Finch among many others undoubtedly have other noteworthy performances in other films, but in the work they've done with Lumet there's something that connects just right, to get that full touch reaching into the character and pulling out the humanity, or lack thereof. Vin Diesel, in this case, has possibly his most convincing and on-spot performance to date and, with the exception of his supporting role in Boiler Room, goes beyond the typically macho-roles of his career in the past several years. He is a tough guy in this, true, and Jackie DiNorscio has the life of a criminal to him. But in the story presented in the film, of this man defending himself in the longest trial in American history, it's essential that the actor playing him gets it right with the emotional connections of the character, of being truthful. Diesel gets that right, in a performance that has that gangster quality (err, 'gagster' as DiNorsci refers himself as), but is also has a certain fascinating complexity that the character of, for example, the prosecuting attorney, could never have.

Still, Lumet captures this ensemble with enough nuance and well-spun, real dialog, for two movies. It's not at all strange to see him doing a courtroom drama, as it reaches back to his first film 12 Angry Men. This time however there is a difference in the focus on a story lasting three years, and the evidence in the sprawling, elephantine case against the crime families is not as crucial for getting involved in the film as the people who make up the case and courtroom. There are at least a few character actors providing some terrific work, like Ron Silver as the judge, or Peter Dinklage as one of the defense attorneys. And while amid a scene or shot here and there that could've been lost or put on the cutting room floor (it's hard to pinpoint which after a first viewing without notes), there are at least a few that do provide some extra interest that most other filmmakers would've lost. The detail of the one mobster who becomes ill and has to come in every day to court on a stretcher is one thing. Or the detail of the importance of a chair in Jackie's prison cell.

And in this mix there are a few scenes that rank up with being some of the more dramatically perfect scenes Lumet has done, chiefly by letting the actors- who have inhabited the roles to the point of doubtless believability- just do their work. Two that come to mind are when the judge informs Jackie about the death of his mother, and how what Diesel doesn't show to the audience is even more important than what is (I'm reminded of the scene towards the end of Serpico where he gets the badge). Another is when Jackie is questioning his cousin on the stand. The filming of this scene isn't all that complex, but the dynamic between the two characters is, and the right notes are just there between the two actors. By the end of Find Me Guilty, I didn't think I saw an outright masterpiece like some of the director's other films. Neverhtheless, I also knew that I had seen an extremely confident and very good piece of work that brings out what's dependable in Lumet and what's unexpected in an actor like Diesel. Not to mention that, here and there, the film is quite funny. 8.5/10

I was not surprised that Vin Diseal was so good in this movie. His role really is not a stretch from who he is in real life - a tough guy who grew up in New York City.

That this is based on a real court room trial makes it all the funnier. The script writers used much of the transcripts from the trial of Mobster Jack DiNorscio. Crime may not pay, but it can be hilarious.

Critics of this movie get wrapped around the axle that it is sympathetic to criminals. Forget the moral outrage, this particular criminal was funny, he was human, he did terrible things which the movie does portray.

Maybe I'm more forgiving than some because I've known people like this in real life - not criminals, but real life everyday people who walk, talk and think like "Fat Jack" DiNorscio. You don't need a formal education to be smart, and you can rise to being a Prosecutor or Judge without smarts.

I say watch, relax and enjoy.