An amusing portrait of an amusing guy,
real-life gangster Jackie DeNorscio. Vin Diesel is pretty good in the lead, and
the courtroom scenes that dominate the picture seem fairly realistic.
Vin Diesel’s bid for respectability finds him (cosmetically
and follically enhanced) essaying the role of a real-life gangster, the late
Jackie DeNorscio. Alleged gangster, that is. When he and his pals were tried
for conspiracy in Manhattan 20 years ago, Jackie decided to fire his lawyer and
defend himself. “I’m a gagster, not a gangster,” he tells the jury, which is
funny only because he’s goofy enough to think it is. He also really believes
the stuff about the code of loyalty, which only infuriates the D.A. (Linus
Roache), who in one of the better scenes rages that the people he’s loyal to
cost everyone money, and occasionally kill people. However, the movie mostly
takes place in the courtroom and focuses on the interactions between DeNorscio
and the often-exasperated judge (Ron Silver), the lead counsel for the other
defendants (Peter Dinklage), and the contemptuous head of the “family” (a
fearsome Alex Rocco). An on-screen title notes that actual trial testimony was
used, and indeed the scenes have an almost documentary-like feel to them. For
director Sidney Lumet, this isn’t likely to rank up with Twelve Angry Men,
Network, or The Verdict. It’s not an examination of organized
crime. But it is a well-acted, amusing portrait of an amusing character.
posted 9/6/13
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