Find Me Guilty (2006)

Director:

Sidney Lumet

Writers (WGA):

Sidney Lumet (written by) and
T.J. Mancini (written by) ...

Release Date:

17 March 2006 (Italy)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Sometimes the best defense. . . is a wiseguy.

Plot:

Based on the true story of Jack DiNorscio, a mobster who defended himself in court for what would be the longest mafia trial in U.S. history.

Plot Keywords:

Mobster | Mafia | Lawyer | Drugs | Court

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Vin Diesel	...	Jackie DiNorscio
Alex Rocco	...	Nick Calabrese
Frank Pietrangolare	...	Carlo Mascarpone
Richard DeDomenico	...	Tom Napoli
Jerry Grayson	...	Jimmy Katz
Tony Ray Rossi	...	Joe Bellini
Vinny Vella	...	Graziedei
Paul Borghese	...	Gino Mascarpone
Frank Adonis	...	Phil Radda
Nicholas A. Puccio	...	Alessandro Tedeschi (as Nick Puccio)
Frankie Perrone	...	Henry Fiuli
Salvatore Paul Piro	...	Mike Belaggio
Peter Dinklage	...	Ben Klandis
Richard Portnow	...	Max Novardis
James Biberi	...	Frank Brentano

Also Known As:

Find Me Guilty: The Jackie Dee Story (USA) (long title)
Find me guilty - Der Mafiaprozess (Germany)
Beni suçlu bulun (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Declaradme culpable (Spain) [es]
Find me guilty - uskomaton oikeudenkäynti (Finland) [fi]
Guilty (Denmark) (DVD title) [da]
Jugez-moi coupable (France) [fr]
Prova a incastrarmi (Italy) [it]

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language and some violence.

Runtime:

125 min

Country:

Germany | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Finland:K-11 | USA:R (certificate #41775) | Australia:M | Germany:12 | Brazil:14

Filming Locations:

Bayonne, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Crossroads Entertainment (II)

Trivia:

During production, one of the working titles of the film was "Jackie Dee".

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Ben says that the "C" in RICO stands for "conspiracy." In actuality, RICO stands for Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.

Quotes:

[repeated line]
Giacomo 'Fat Jack' DiNorscio: I fell.

Movie Connections:

Features Gopher Broke (2004)

Soundtrack:

When You're Smiling (The Whole World Smiles with You)

Viesel Dazzles

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.