DVD Review - Find Me Guilty
Sidney Lumet has made some great films (12 Angry Men, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon and Network to name a few). This is his latest film and while it is not up to the standards of the previously mentioned films it is still a good one.
The film is based on a real trial which turned out to be the longest criminal trial in history (almost two years!). Vin Diesel plays Jackie Di Norscio, a mobster who is already serving a 30 year jail sentence. When he is brought up on other charges he decides to fire his lawyer and defend himself. The reason this trial took so long is that there were so many defendants - 20 to be exact - and so many charges filed against them. This could have been an ordinary courtroom drama but it is raised to another level because of Diesel's portrayal of Jackie. I never took Diesel seriously as an actor but this film proves that he has talent. Even though we know that Jackie is a liar and a thief Diesel makes him such an endearing character that we are rooting for him to win. Diesel is not the only one who gives a fine performance in the film. Peter Dinklage (as head of the defense team Ben Klandis), Linus Roache (as chief prosecutor Sean Kierney), Ron Silver (as Judge Finestein) and Annabella Sciorra (in a small role as Jackie's ex-wife Bella) all give very good performances. The film could have been a little shorter but that is a minor flaw.
Lumet shows that he still knows how to direct a film. But this is a small film and it is another one that got lost in the shuffle. It is a shame because it is well worth seeing. But that is the beauty of DVDs - these wonderful little films that nobody saw in the theaters can have a new life as a rental. I highly recommend that you check this one out.
The film is based on a real trial which turned out to be the longest criminal trial in history (almost two years!). Vin Diesel plays Jackie Di Norscio, a mobster who is already serving a 30 year jail sentence. When he is brought up on other charges he decides to fire his lawyer and defend himself. The reason this trial took so long is that there were so many defendants - 20 to be exact - and so many charges filed against them. This could have been an ordinary courtroom drama but it is raised to another level because of Diesel's portrayal of Jackie. I never took Diesel seriously as an actor but this film proves that he has talent. Even though we know that Jackie is a liar and a thief Diesel makes him such an endearing character that we are rooting for him to win. Diesel is not the only one who gives a fine performance in the film. Peter Dinklage (as head of the defense team Ben Klandis), Linus Roache (as chief prosecutor Sean Kierney), Ron Silver (as Judge Finestein) and Annabella Sciorra (in a small role as Jackie's ex-wife Bella) all give very good performances. The film could have been a little shorter but that is a minor flaw.
Lumet shows that he still knows how to direct a film. But this is a small film and it is another one that got lost in the shuffle. It is a shame because it is well worth seeing. But that is the beauty of DVDs - these wonderful little films that nobody saw in the theaters can have a new life as a rental. I highly recommend that you check this one out.
posted by Film Fanatic | 2:42 PM
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