the audience applauded

How sad is this?

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Find Me Guilty is actually a really entertaining and sometimes funny mafia film. Even though it touches on the subject of mafia and gangsters, director Sidney Lumet takes the right approach by giving the film a lighter tone than most mafia films. He also rightfully casted Vin Diesel in the lead role, who blown me away with his acting abilities here. I liked this film as I found it to be funny and that is was a truthful movie in the sense that most of the dialogue were the actual words used in the real courtroom scenes.Sidney Lumet's film is about the longest criminal trial in American history. This is about a mobster named Jackie DiNorscio who decides to stand trial instead of ratting out his friends and family, despite a prior 30-year sentence. The thing is that he decides to act as his own lawyer to hilarious results.Of course we all know Vin Diesel as the action macho man from the Fast and the Furious franchise, but of this film proves anything, it's that he knows how to be funny as well as dramatic. I was impressed with his character and despite his flaws, we can see that he is as human as any of us, even if he is a criminal. Peter Dinklage has some great scenes as a fellow lawyer for the mafia. Ron Silver made a great judge and Linus Roache played the swarmy prosecutor role just perfectly.Overall, Find Me Guilty is a better than average film and despite the entire film taking place in a courtroom, the film was entertaining. There is laughter and there are tears to be had because of the stellar cast. It's good that Sidney Lumet had experience with a courtroom as he directed the fine 12 Angry Men nearly half a century earlier. But as for mafia films, this is an underseen gem. I rate this film 9/10.

That film was just right. It depicts the U.S. Criminal justice as it was back then and as it is now. For me this is a 10/10. The end was the best part of the film. Jackie's love for the people around him really made him the centrally humble character that he is and really depicted the plight of The Italian Americans in that court room and arguably Italian Americans in general. The film is based around love thy neighbour and displaying the true strength and core of loyalty that could shake any institution's beliefs and morals for a positive and moral outcome. There wasn't really much Jackie asked for apart from love and the feeling of being accepted by the people around you for what you really are. Thankyou.

If you were expecting another action adventure film with Vinnie Diesel, guess again. This film is one where Vin has to act, and I mean act. And he does it amazingly well. The plot is well laid out and sets a logical foundation from start to finish. While a failure at the box office, this film is one of the great underground sleepers everyone who is interested in the real history of the "Mafia" in the US should see. Vin portrays "Jackie Dee" DiNorscio, probably one of the last "Stand Up" guys in the mob, unwilling to sell out his friends and family to get a reduced sentence. In the courtroom, he is a fly in the ointment, and a pain in the judge's rear end. As his own attorney, he makes procedural and other mistakes the defense attorney's are uncomfortable with. While most of the other mobsters are okay with Jackie, Alex Rocco (as Nick Calabrese, Don of the Lucchese family) is brusque, rude, and downright condescending to him, accusing him of selling out for a deal. Throughout the trial, Vinnie remains solid, and is supported by Ben Klandis (played by Peter Dinklage). Dinklage gives an amazing performance as the dwarf attorney who is surprisingly adept at presenting his case. Ron Silver is prefect as the judge, showing only as much emotion as he needs, and trying to be fair in his rulings. Linus Roache shows us the firm, determined persona we were used to when he took over for Jack McCoy in the final seasons of Law and Order, and this was not his first time working with Vin. They were previously together in The Chronicles of Riddick. Annabella Sciorra and Alexa Palladino are also excellent in their roles as Jackie's wife and daughter. And Hat's Off to the casting department for presenting us with a list of Italian names not seen since the Godfather films. I guess they felt you had to be Italian to understand what was up at the time. Rated R for language and some brief but brutal violence, this may not be a film for the family, but it is definitely one for Vin fans and anyone who likes an unpretentious legal docudrama. Collectible? Depends on your taste.

Early on in his career, Vin Diesel has been cast as the Arnold Schwartznegger for the iPod generation. The range required for these types of roles is strictly limited; all these guys need to do is act tough in the face of a lot of violence and spit off a few good one-liners. However, actors who have made their mark on Hollywood in one type of role get the urge to stretch their talents in new directions. Sometimes this fails, but sometimes it succeeds. This is one of the latter.This is the story of the longest criminal trial in US history. Dozens of members from all ranks of the Lucchese crime family are on trial for a number of crimes. The prosecution, led by Sean Kierney (Linus Roache) thinks its totally prepared. But then one of the charged, Jackie DiNorscio (Vin Diesel) throws them all a fast one: he decides to defend himself (at this point it should be known that those who defend themselves rarely win). And let's just say that his style is completely at odds with normal courtroom behavior.Vin Diesel is a revelation. Even in his action roles there was always a hint of something more than an Arnold Schwartzenegger type. This is the first chance Diesel has gotten a chance to show it, and I'm surprised that he didn't earn at least a Golden Globe nomination. He's funny, yet there is a lot of depth to the character as well, and Diesel nails it. There are of course co-stars, but this is Diesel's show. Linus Roache is solid as the prosecutor, but he just doesn't have the screen presence that the other actors, especially Diesel, have in order to take his share of the spotlight. Peter Dinklage is terrific as the short Ben Klandis, who's on hand to give advice to Jackie. Dinklage has become one of the most reliable character actors in Hollywood, and this is another great performance. The late great Ron Silver has some funny moments as the judge, but he also has a heart.Director Sidney Lumet has a spotty career. He's directed a number of classics, such as "12 Angry Men," but he's had his share of duds (like his most recent film, "Befor the Devil Knows You're Dead"). Lumet's approach is standard and character based. The problem with that is the only times the film (and Diesel) really come alive is in the courtroom. Diesel holds his own in the non-courtroom scenes, but there's just no energy in them and they become a little dull.The film flopped, and while unfair, it's understandable (this is not exactly typical fare for Diesel's usual fans, and it's not good enough for the "film lovers" who only venture outside the norm when films are endorsed by the almighty Oscar). It's a good film, but not a classic.My rating: Rated R for Pervasive Strong Language and Some Violence.