Find Me Guilty
Find Me Guilty | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Sidney Lumet |
Written by |
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Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Ron Fortunato |
Edited by | Tom Swartwout |
Music by | Jonathan Tunick |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | Freestyle Releasing |
Release date |
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Running time | 125 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $13 million |
Box office | $2.6 million[1] |
Find Me Guilty is a 2006 American
Plot
In the mid 1980s, Mafia soldier Jackie DiNorscio (
Upset over the results of his previous trial, Jackie fires his lawyer and decides to represent himself. This adds to the burdens of the court, already having to deal with 20 defendants and their lawyers. Judge Sidney Finestein (Ron Silver) strongly advises against it, but lead defense attorney Ben Klandis (Peter Dinklage) agrees to assist Jackie. Both Klandis and Kierney recognize Jackie's ability to charm the jury, but his arrogant, vulgar behavior eventually starts irritating everyone. As revenge, Kierney arranges for Jackie to have all of his prison privileges revoked. No one is more upset than Nick, who believes Jackie will cost them the trial and threatens to sever himself from the case. As weeks turn into months, the court case evolves into a marathon affair. Kierney wants Jackie kicked off the case, but Judge Finestein reluctantly agrees to keep the trial going. Jackie realizes he has gone too far and apologizes to the judge.
Wanting to remove the possibility that even one defendant gets acquitted, Kearny offers a final plea deal to all the defendants. In return for pleading guilty, they will all get shorter sentences than they would be facing if found guilty. Jackie tells his codefendants that he refuses to take a deal even though he is already serving a long sentence for drug trafficking. This convinces Nick and the others to turn down the deal too. The final witness is Jackie's cousin Tony. Klandis is able to use Tony's heavy drug use to discredit him as a witness and Jackie emotionally cross-examines his cousin and asks why he betrayed his love for him.
After 21 months of testimony, the trial concludes with closing arguments. The prosecution and defense teams return to their homes expecting the jury to deliberate for at least a week. However, after only 14 hours of deliberation the jury returns a verdict of not guilty on all charges. While the rest of the defendants leave the courtroom with their families, Jackie returns to prison to finish his sentence. He receives a hero's welcome at the correctional facility, where fellow prisoners chant his name and reach out to shake his hand.
The end title cards explain that the real Jackie DiNorscio served 17 and a half years before being paroled in 2002. He died of natural causes during filming.
Cast
- Vin Diesel as Jackie DiNorscio
- Peter Dinklage as Ben Klandis
- Linus Roache as Sean Kierney (Samuel Alito)
- Ron Silver as Judge Sidney Finestein
- Annabella Sciorra as Bella DiNorscio
- Alex Rocco as Nick Calabrese (Anthony Accetturo)
- Jerry Adler as Rizzo
- Raúl Esparza as Tony Compagna
- Richard Portnow as Max Novardis
- Aleksa Palladino as Marina DiNorscio
- Robert Stanton as Chris Newberger
- Marcia Jean Kurtz as Sara Stiles
- Domenick Lombardozzi as Jerry McQueen
- Josh Pais as Harry Bellman
- Peter McRobbie as Peter Petraki
- Chuck Cooper as James Washington
- Frank Pietrangolare as Carlo Mascarpone (Michael Taccetta)
- Richard DeDomenico as Tom "Nappy" Napoli
- Jerry Grayson as Jimmy "The Jew" Katz
- Tony Ray Rossi as Joe Bellini
- Vinny Vella as Graziedei
- Paul Borghese as Gino Mascarpone (Martin Taccetta)
- Frank Adonis as Phil Radda
- Nick Puccio as Alessandro Tedeschi
- Frankie Perrone as Henry Fiuli
- Salvatore Paul Piro as Mike Belaggio
- James Biberi as Frank Brentano
- Oscar A. Colon as Pissaro
- Ben Lipitz as Henry Kelsey
- Steven Randazzo as Chris Cellano
- Gerry Vichi as Theodore
- Louis Guss as Court Clerk
- Gene Ruffini as Giacomo DiNorscio, Sr.
- Roger Zamudio as Octavio Juarez
- Terry Serpico as Michael Kerry
- Mark Kachersky as Agent Brandon
- Frank Lentini as Charley Kraus
- Antoni Corone as Detective
- Dennis Paladino as Sylvester
- David Brown as US Marshall #1
- Louis Mustillo as US Marshall #2
- John DiBenedetto as Jesse
- Eddie Marrero as Guard
Reception
Find Me Guilty received mostly positive reviews. As of June 2020[update], the film holds a 62% approval rating on review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes, based on 106 reviews with an average rating of 6.02 out of 10. The critical consensus is: "Find Me Guilty's excessive length and heavy-handed narrative keep it from reaching its full potential, but Vin Diesel's performance is well worth watching."[4]
Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars, calling Diesel "a good choice for this role, bringing it sincerity without nobility."[5] Ebert also praised the film's director, Lumet, who "was able to see the serious dramatic potential of Vin Diesel, dismissed as an action star, and use it for a remarkable performance."[6]
Box office
The film did poorly at the box office; on its first weekend, it grossed only $608,804 (439 theaters, averaging $1,386 per theater). It grossed $1,173,643 in the domestic market, and $1,457,700 overseas, for a total of $2,631,343. The film's budget was $13 million, and so it was considered a
Release
Find Me Guilty was released in theatres on March 17, 2006.[5] The film was released on DVD on June 27, 2006.[7] The film was released on Blu-ray in Spain on August 31, 2011 and in the United States on October 9, 2012.[8][9]
Actual events
In August 1985, authorities in New Jersey indicted Anthony Accetturo, Martin and Michael Taccetta, and eighteen of the men who ran the New Jersey faction of the New York-based Lucchese crime family. It was the first time in New Jersey history that an entire organized crime family had been indicted in one prosecution. However, this crime family proved to be only a faction of the Lucchese crime family, only operating in New Jersey. But due to the crew's membership and 20 defendants, U.S. law enforcement recognized the crew as its own crime family.
The case went to trial in November 1986, based on a 65-page indictment. It started in March 1987 at the federal courthouse in Newark. It ended on August 26, 1988. The U.S. Clerk’s Office in Newark confirmed that officially The United States v. Anthony Accetturo et al. was the longest criminal case on record in the federal courts of the nation.
The jury found a verdict of not guilty in favor of all the defendants. The trial followed a ten-year investigation and generated 240 volumes and 850 exhibits of evidence. It cost taxpayers millions of dollars, and was the result of a 76 count Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) indictment.
See also
- List of American films of 2006
- The Jersey Crew
References
- ^ "Find Me Guilty (2006) – Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
- ^ "Find Me Guilty". Turner Classic Movies. United States: Turner Broadcasting System. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
- ^ Rangel, Jesus (August 27, 1988). "ALL 20 ACQUITTED IN JERSEY MOB CASE". The New York Times. New York City. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
- ^ "Find Me Guilty (2006)". Retrieved June 6, 2020 – via www.rottentomatoes.com.
- ^ a b Ebert, Roger (March 17, 2006). "Find Me Guilty". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved April 14, 2011.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (April 9, 2011). "Sidney Lumet: In Memory". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved April 14, 2011.
- ASIN B000FFJ826. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
- ^ "Find Me Guilty Blu-ray Release Date August 31, 2011 (Declaradme Culpable) (Spain)". blu-ray.com. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
- ^ "Find Me Guilty Blu-ray Release Date October 9, 2012". blu-ray.com. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
External links
- Find Me Guilty at IMDb
- Find Me Guilty at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- Find Me Guilty at the TCM Movie Database
- Find Me Guilty at AllMovie
- Find Me Guilty at TV Guide
- Find Me Guilty at Box Office Mojo
- Find Me Guilty at Rotten Tomatoes
- Find Me Guilty at Metacritic
- Find Me Guilty at Screen It!