Find Me Guilty

Sidney Lumet, who made the stellar courtroom dramas 12 Angry Men and The Verdict goes to the well a third time in this fact-based story about the prosecution of some 20 members of New Jersey's mob in 1987-88 (with each defendant represented by his own lawyer, and 76 counts in the indictment, the trial lasted nearly two years). But the real focus of Find Me Guilty isn't on the whole proceeding, but rather on Jackie DiNorscio (Vin Diesel), a low-ranking member of the gang and quite a character, whose cousin was the chief prosecution witness and who decided to represent himself. DiNorscio's courtroom performance, in which he claimed to be “a gagster, not a gangster,” exasperated the ambitious chief prosecutor, as well as mob boss Nick Calabrese (also a defendant), who feared that Jackie's clowning might doom everyone's chance of acquittal. Lumet's direction is, as usual, skillful in using a confined environment for maximum impact, and the interesting story offers a nice blend of dramatic and comic elements in a film stocked with a wide array of able supporting players. But the linchpin is Jackie's character, who is onscreen almost nonstop, and required to be charismatic, funny, and sympathetic all at once. Unfortunately, while you have to give Diesel credit for trying to break out of his action-hero mold, he simply doesn't have the range here for the role. Optional. [Note: DVD extras include a five-minute “Conversation” featuring filmmaker Sidney Lumet, and trailers and TV spots. Bottom line: a paltry extras package for an uneven film.] (F. Swietek)