Director Sidney Lumet’s courtroom dramas (12 Angry Men, The Verdict) are always intense and thought-provoking. Based on a true story, Find Me Guilty offers an interesting commentary on our legal system from the point of view of a character that is both intimate with and ignorant of it.
Giacomo “Fat Jack” DiNorscio (Diesel) is a crook: drug dealing, money laundering, pimping… you name it. Soon after he recovers from being shot by his cousin, Tony (Esparza), Jackie is convicted of a narcotic charge. He’s serving a 30-year sentence when prosecutor Sean Kierney (Roache) offers him a deal. You see, Tony squealed, and for the first time Kierney has a chance to bring the Lucchese crime family down on a RICO (Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) indictment. If Jackie agrees to cooperates with the government and testify, he could get out of jail without six or seven years. Jackie, loyal and stubborn, refuses to rat on his friends and family, and the case goes on to become the longest organized crime trial in history.
Fed up with his attorney, Jackie decides to defend himself in court, much against the objection of the Lucchese family and their lawyers, including Ben Klandis (Dinklage). Jackie faces scrutiny and ridicule from all sides, including the family he’s trying to protect. But he doesn’t give up. He tells the jury that he’s no gangster, but a “gagster,” and proceeds to charm the pants off of everyone, even Judge Finestein (Silver) with his genuine personality.Action star and sex symbol Diesel (The Pacifier) does a surprising dramatic turn as Jackie D. With makeup and costumes, Diesel looks 20 years older (and rather ridiculous with thinning blond hair) and 30 pounds chunkier than his normal buff self. But his dramatic chops are even more impressive. His portrayal of the uneducated but street-smart “gagster” carries the film. Even though we know he is a crook and he’s protecting a true crime family, we admire his loyalty and resolve, and we actually root for him. Jackie D. has personality to spare, and the bigger-than-life Diesel pulls off a very respectable performance.
But Diesel has help. Dinklage (Fortunes) manages to steal the film from him. Dinklage is articulate, empathetic and authoritative as lead defense lawyer Ben Klandis. His command of the screen is impressive. Silver (Red Mercury) is also wonderful as the just and paternal Judge Finestein. Roache (Twelve and Holding) is intense and spot on as the uptight prosecutor who would stop at nothing to win.
Rocco (Crazylove) is effective as the cantankerous Uncle Nick Calabrese (the mob boss). His distrust and loathing toward Jackie drive a wedge between Jackie and the family. Sciorra (Twelve and Holding) has a brief but memorable scene with Diesel as Jackie’s estranged wife, Bella. Their scene together speaks volume about the man Jackie is and the change he’s undergoing.Veteran director Lumet is the go-to guy when it comes to courtroom drama, and Find Me Guilty does not disappoint. Lumet’s vision gives us a strong but down-to-earth feel, to keep us in the personal drama and dynamics without sidetracking us with extraneous details. The pacing is just right.
The script by Lumet, Mancini and McCrea is well-paced and entertaining, exploring the complex relationships between Jackie and the various relationships in his life. Using real testimonies from the trial as dialogue, they give the story certain sense of authenticity. Most impressive is the characterization of Jackie. The theme of loyalty and integrity really drives home, and we end up rooting for the crooks instead of the “good guys.” The dialogue is often explosive and humorous, and the action to the point. The huge cast of characters can be confusing sometimes and the various subplots can be distracting.While it’s not really a movie that teaches anything profound, the story and the characters are very entertaining. I thoroughly enjoy the film, and I won’t feel a bit guilty about that.
Stars: Vin Diesel, Ron Silver, Linus Roache, Peter Dinklage, Alex Rocco, Annabella Sciorra, Raul Esparza
Director: Sidney Lumet
Writers: Sidney Lumet, T.J. Mancini, Robert J. McCrea
Distributor: Freestyle
MPAA Rating: R for language and violence
Running Time: 125 minutes
Script – 7
Performance – 8
Direction – 8
Cinematography – 7
Music/Sound– 7
Editing – 7
Production – 7
Total – 7.4 out of 10
Meanwhile, the bank’s founder, Arthur Case (Plummer) hires top negotiator Madeline White (Foster) to take care of some business at the bank branch. Apparently, Case has something super secret in his safe deposit box and he would like to keep that a secret. White gladly takes the job (for an exorbitant fee, of course) without caring what is inside the box. The cat-and-mouse game continues as Russell, Frazier, and White try to outsmart one another. In time, Frazier realizes that the crime isn’t what it seems.
Washington (The Manchurian Candidate) is charismatic, cocky, but also vulnerable as Frazier. He gives an interesting and down-to-earth performance of a man who is sometimes irritatingly full of himself. Owen (Derailed) is focused as the calm, smart and calculated heist master. His demeanor makes us believe that his character truly believes that he has the perfect plan. Foster (Flightplan) plays against type as the ruthless business woman that even the mayor affectionately calls her a “magnificent c---.” She does a good job.
First-time screenwriter Gewirtz’s script is taut and smart. Sure, he gives a lot away, and those who are smart enough would have guessed the plot twists and the ending, but Gewirtz does his best keeping us guessing, keeping his plot one step ahead of the audience. The dialogue sounds real, and there is enough humor to give the story a light-hearted feel (though not comedic like Ocean Eleven). There are times when the action and plot become heavy-handed, and there are certain holes in the plot that one might argue about their plausibility. But Gewirtz’s script is fast-paced enough that audience is too busy figuring out if Dalton Russell is really going to pull it off, and what Frazier will do.
Lee (25th Hour) is a deft and smooth director. This film seems like a departure from his other films, but he pulls off some good work, here. Lee manages to keep the pace quick and the subplots clear and untangled. Again, through the direction and editing, he gives a lot away and a smart audience would be able to figure things out. However, that’s not the point. Lee doesn’t set out to fool the audience – he is on our side; he wants us to get the story. And that is very interesting and admirable for a director making a thriller like this. Even the title hints at the denouement but the filmmakers still keep you guessing. Inside Man is smart, effective, and it keeps us entertained to the end.
Timid and mild-mannered Evey (Portman) works for the government-run broadcast system, which often twists the facts and lies to portray the government in specific, positive light. One night, Evey’s saved from being raped by corrupt cops, by a mysterious man wearing a Guy Fawkes mask who calls himself “V,” for Vendetta. Even though she doesn’t believe in the terrorist tactics and violence, V stirs something deep inside Evey, and she reluctantly becomes his protégé and ally. In the course of one year, V diligently plans to make a statement by blowing up the Parliament, while eluding the pursuit led by police chief Finch (Rhea) and his assistant (Graves). 
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First-time director (and the Wachowskis’ protégé) McTeigue (
The story itself gets a little convoluted in the middle, with a lot of back stories and revelations of who the characters are and how they came to be, through a lot of telling instead of showing. The revelations, I believe, slow down the film. The actual plot is actually rather thin. The story also shows shadows of others, including 
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Beside the lack of chemistry between the romantic leads, the casting is rather odd. Trip is at least 10 years older than Ace or Demo, so one wonders how they become such close friends. Parker also is older than McConaughey, making the coupling a little uncomfortable. Then there is Kit, so much younger than Parker and yet they are supposed to be great friends (which is never explained). Odd as it is, the ensemble does provide much energy to the production.
Worse, for a romantic comedy, the romance doesn’t work; it’s not convincing at all, but the audience is forced to believe that it is. The subplot involving Ace and Kit is cute, but it distracts from the main story. The climatic scene is corny and silly. I do, however, like the ending because it doesn’t blatantly spell out “happily ever after” – there is a chance that the Paula and Trip won’t work out, but it’s not really the point. I think if the writers had focused more on that aspect of the story, the result might have been much more satisfying. As it is, the film fails to… well, it simply fails.
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The supporting cast is good, too. Flanagan (Mad About Dog) turns a caricature into an interesting character as Bree’s religious mother. Young (Land of Plenty) is amiable as her husband Murray. Preston (The Stepford Wives) is loopy as Bree’s sister Sydney. Greene (The Green Mile) is solid as Calvin, a kind American Indian who has the eye for Bree. Pena (The Incredibles) is lovely as Bree’s therapist.
Tucker’s raw skills as a director lends a certain genuine charm to the film. The plain, grainy cinematography and the abrupt editing seem unrefined at times, but they seem to fit the story. Transamerica is an odd story about two outsiders who find each other. While we might not identify with the central characters and their choices, we come to care about them through Huffman’s outstanding performance as well as Zeger’s. While it won’t transform America, this little film deserves notice, and Huffman deserves her Oscar nomination (and maybe even a win).