Find Me Guilty
Freestyle Releasing | Release Date: March 17, 2006
7.4
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 40 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
27
Mixed:
11
Negative:
2
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User scoreBy dateMost helpful
5
NedF.Mar 16, 2006
Reasonably good acting and dialogue help tell this unusual, "based-on-true-events" story. Ultimately, however, this courtroom drama suffers, because although apparently none of the characters in the film has any idea what the jury will Reasonably good acting and dialogue help tell this unusual, "based-on-true-events" story. Ultimately, however, this courtroom drama suffers, because although apparently none of the characters in the film has any idea what the jury will decide, the audience has had two hours of clues lopsided in one direction, not from courtroom evidence as much as from the dramatic structure.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful
4
KenG.Mar 24, 2006
I honestly don't know who I was supposed to root for here. Obviously, I wasn't supposed to root for the D.A or the cops, who hardly come off well (or competent). Was I supposed to root for the real life mafia guys, who no doubt I honestly don't know who I was supposed to root for here. Obviously, I wasn't supposed to root for the D.A or the cops, who hardly come off well (or competent). Was I supposed to root for the real life mafia guys, who no doubt belonged in prison? If any of these guys were fleshed out and made interesting, then that might of worked, but only their leader (other then Diesel) was the least bit fleshed out, and he didn't come of well. Was I supposed to care whether or not Diesel is found guilty? The guy is already serving a 30 year-prison sentence. What possible effect could a conviction have on his life or future? Maybe, it would have worked if Diesel's antics were really as funny as film tries to convince us they are. We certainly had enough scenes of the people in the court rolling on the floor with laughter, I however didn't come close to laughing. Basically, this comes off as movie trying very hard to convince us that Diesel's character is alot more interesting then he is, at least in the moviie. Considering that the real life character he was playing was in the mafia, and spent a good part of his adult life in prison, the real life person might well have been a darker, and more interesting character then Diesel, who wants nothing more then to hang with his mafia buddies, who we are told again and again that he loves. Are we really supposed to share Diesel's view that the mafia guys are noble, working class heroes, and that their acquittal, if it comes, would be a victory for the little guy? The way film handle's its ending it certainly seems like we're supposed to see it like this. The filmmakers had a taken on this subject matter, that for lack of a better word, is just weird. However, Dinkage, as the defense lawyer is good. He is easily the best part of movie, and if his character had been the film's focus, then you might have had a better film.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful
10
JadiannahL.Mar 19, 2006
If there are certain types of movies you are drawn to yet you occasionally step out of the norm to see. This is a great movie to do so with. Giving an awarg winning performance now that he's finally been given the chance, Vin Diesel has If there are certain types of movies you are drawn to yet you occasionally step out of the norm to see. This is a great movie to do so with. Giving an awarg winning performance now that he's finally been given the chance, Vin Diesel has a versatile gift to portray anyone he wants. I applaud you Mr. Diesel. Thank you Sidney for giving him the chance to prove to those who said "No, he can't" that "Yes, he can.... act."… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
3
JimG.Jul 1, 2006
Stereotypical mobster movie from a different angle - draws in stereotypical mobster film actors. Yeah, based on real story, but same old stuff.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
cybrswtAug 1, 2006
This was a good movie, I really liked the story and the acting in this.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
ChrisF.Mar 19, 2007
I don't get the complaints about this film. What seems to get lost among viewers is these are not nice guys. You are not suppose to root for them. That being said the film is framed by Peter Dinkage's character and the DA. One I don't get the complaints about this film. What seems to get lost among viewers is these are not nice guys. You are not suppose to root for them. That being said the film is framed by Peter Dinkage's character and the DA. One talks about be a nation of laws and the other screams when he hears that one of the jury thinks Jackie is cute and reminds us all that they (Jackie and his buddies) kill people. There is no moral judgement made by this movie. You have to figure it out for yourselves. I will take a film like this every time. Disel and Dinkage are both excellent.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
PatcatL.Mar 27, 2008
One of the best movies since Good fellows. How did you get from the Brunos to the Lascees. I took a cab!!! I almost fell over laughing. I love the part on how Judge Fienstien and Jackie build a Bond, I love the part on how the judge handles One of the best movies since Good fellows. How did you get from the Brunos to the Lascees. I took a cab!!! I almost fell over laughing. I love the part on how Judge Fienstien and Jackie build a Bond, I love the part on how the judge handles Jackies Mothers death, I hope all judges would show respect and compassion as judge Fienstein showed Jackie. I give the movie two thumbs up!!!… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
MarkB.Mar 28, 2006
Octogenarian Sidney Lumet's latest courtroom movie (based on real-life events and raiding actual transcripts for much of its dalogue) doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same series of breaths as his two genre-defining classics Octogenarian Sidney Lumet's latest courtroom movie (based on real-life events and raiding actual transcripts for much of its dalogue) doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same series of breaths as his two genre-defining classics Twelve Angry Men and The Verdict. In classic Roger Corman/ Larry Cohen low-budget fashion, the non-courtroom scenes appeared to have been shot inside somebody's house. The courtroom scenes are lit in such a way as to suggest thaty the film stock somehow got left outside in the sun for several days. And whether Vin Diesel let his hair grow or is wearing a rug, his foliage looks only slightly more convincing than what the Hair Weave guy used to wear when he used to break into the Late, Late Show at 3 AM. So why is Find Me Guilty nevertheless so compulsively enjoyable? Largely because its central character, Jackie DiNorscio, a deeply flawed but strangely endearing mob goombah (a working stiff similar in some ways to Al Pacino's character in Donnie Brasco, only with a lampshade on his head) who demonstrates Stella Dallas-like loyalty to his "family" during an incredibly lengthy courtroom trial, is, as played by Diesel, so unforgettable. When playing amoral action figures, as in the Pitch Black movies, Diesel can be well-nigh unbearable, but when allowed to display an innate sweetness, as in Saving Private Ryan, The Fast and the Furious, and (apologies in advance) The Pacifier, Diesel is irresistably likable and funny. Of course, every great comedian needs good straight men, and as opposing attorneys, Linus Roache and Peter Dinklage more than fit the bill, while Ron Silver delivers a wonderfully subtle portrayal of a by-the-book judge who nevertheless comes to care about, respect and even sort of admire DiNorscio. There are certainly some ethical qualms involved with a movie that in essence manipulates its audience into rooting for a bunch of gangsters and thugs to beat the rap, but on the other hand, Find Me Guilty (like Twelve Angry Men and The Verdict) works as well as a training aid for future legal professionals as anything else: while it may be initially true that the man who acts as his own lawyer has a fool for a client, it's even more true that Diesel's DiNorscio innately understands something very important that nobody else in the courtroom seems to grasp: if a jury is being forced to slog through two years of seemingly endless testimony, one of the most effective ways to gain their favor is to KEEP THEM ENTERTAINED.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
7
SpangleNov 4, 2017
Sidney Lumet's Find Me Guilty tells a story that is almost too absurd to believe. Sent to prison for thirty years on a variety of charges, Jackie DiNoscio (Vin Diesel) is given a chance to turn state's witness against his friends in theSidney Lumet's Find Me Guilty tells a story that is almost too absurd to believe. Sent to prison for thirty years on a variety of charges, Jackie DiNoscio (Vin Diesel) is given a chance to turn state's witness against his friends in the Lucchese crime family. However, he refuses. What ensues is a nearly two year trial involving Jackie and the rest of the leading members of the Lucchese crime family in New Jersey. Complicating matters is the fact that, not only are all defendants being tried at the same time, but Jackie has opted to act as his own attorney. Funny, terrifically acted, and an engrossing drama in its own right, Find Me Guilty is so ludicrous and absurd that it just has to be true.

At the heart of this film's success is the performance of Vin Diesel. Starring as Jackie DiNoscio, Diesel is in pretty much every shot aside from the brief moments shown from the prosecution's discussions about the case. Otherwise, this is Diesel picture. Casual, likable, and magnanimous, Diesel easily sells DiNoscio as a man who can be rooted for without endorsing what he did in his life. We see him as an honest and laid back who is one of the few men caught up in this trial who admits what he has done. There is no hiding that he is a bad man who did a lot of wrong, but DiNoscio is uninterested in hiding that information. Instead, the trial is personal for him as he tries to defend himself (and his friends as a by-product due to the nature of the charges) and examine how some of the people he trusted could betray him by testifying. Wearing his heart on his sleeve, Diesel nails Jackie in the more emotional scenes of cross-examining his cousin and in the more comical moments of him playing up his charm to the jury. In all, Diesel manages to make this mobster into a man who the audience is comfortable rooting for, which is perhaps the great accomplishment one could give his acting. He is honest, he is raw, and above all, he is intensely real. Diesel shows all sides of this man - his anger, his philandering, his drug use, his drug dealing, and his love of friends and family alike - and makes him into a genuine and, somehow, good hearted person.

A lot of this is due to the film's great script that is very natural. Sidney Lumet's films obviously ride on the actors and the natural dialogue given to them with Find Me Guilty being no exception. The film is not one that is ever particularly stagy and the dialogue captures this perfectly. Jokes delivered by Diesel or one-liners rely on his natural charisma in part, but also in the film's dialogue that makes these lines never come off as written. Instead, they include the imperfections, the awkward phrasing, pace, and delivery, of a natural in-the-moment story or joke. In a similar vein, the script manages to balance this ambitious endeavor of showing the lengthiest trial in the history of the federal courts quite nicely. The film never feels crowded or abbreviated. It includes the important moments, the important conversations, and the important characters, without ever allowing the picture be weighted down with too much information. Rather, it shows us what we need to know, shows how it fits in, and then never belabors the point or clutters the rest of the film. It is an unfussy, focused, and stripped back that covers what it needs to without ever dipping into excess. It builds the character of Jackie - both personally and professionally - and it shows the important days of the trial, the crucial conversations, and the relevant cases. It is a film that may be slowly paced and possibly overlong, but it is not filled with much clutter whatsoever, making it one that is hard to argue should have been cut down.

What really captures the eccentricity of this film perfectly is often the way in which Lumet opts to capture the action. Typically, courtroom dramas are shot with a heavy array of close-ups or medium shots. While this is occasionally still true in Find Me Guilty, Lumet largely relies upon a handheld camera or extreme high-angle shots to showcase the action in and out of the courtroom. Deep focus in the prison shows Jackie walk into his cell in the distance as other inmates closer to the camera mill about on their own. The same in the courtroom shows defendants as they laugh or fidget in their seats. In the hallway, a handheld camera gets stuck behind a crowd of observers as they all cram into the elevator with the deep focus giving us the belief that we too are stuck behind this massive throng of people. In the car as Jackie is transported over, the handheld camera whips between Jackie and the cops like a person's head would. As Jackie argues his case, Lumet often uses the aforementioned high-angle shot, creating a feeling of the audience being no different than another observer, sitting high up in the rafters of the courtroom. The same is continued in the prosecutors office with Lumet's high-angle shots creating a fly-on-the-wall experience.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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5
amheretojudgeSep 17, 2018
the premise doesn't call for it..

Find Me Guilty Find Me Guilty is a character driven courtroom drama about the infamous DiNorscio case that is considered to be one of the longest American criminal case on record. Lumet's directorialthe premise doesn't call for it..

Find Me Guilty Find Me Guilty is a character driven courtroom drama about the infamous DiNorscio case that is considered to be one of the longest American criminal case on record. Lumet's directorial comeback comes with lots of expectations and it may not have been delivered entirely but certainly is thoroughly entertaining. Not only the courtroom drama is edited aptly but the selective choices on the off court dramatic sequences too are just immensely pleasing to encounter that makes it supremely watchable despite of having issues on bits and pieces. The script doesn't have any definite structure, since the premise doesn't call for it, but this is where Lumet comes in and binds it all with his experience. As mentioned the narration might be scattered and it does add tons of friction and makes it difficult to flow smoothly. The performance is probably the weakest link of all, especially the core of it. Diesel fails on all level to justify its part despite of being offered such a wide range while on the supporting cast Dinklage delivers unflinchingly along with Slattery's moving performance. The background is non-effective and in fact a bit questionable but has amazing cinematography, plausible sound department and fine editing. The dialogues may get cheesy but some of it gets right on the nerves and leaves an appealing impression. The humor imputed in here doesn't seem forced in fact, is an essential bit on the characteristics of the characters that unfortunately latter gets mutilated on the court. Lumet's evergreen finesse on delivering a courtroom drama and slick humor that enlightens the tone every now and then are the high points of the feature. Find Me Guilty can be viewers' response by being condemned on enjoying these shallow yet gripping arguments that will not actually change a dime on the cinematic virtuoso.… Expand
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