Movie

Sidney Lumet's gripping courtroom drama resurrects a notorious 1987-88 court case in which 20 men said to be members of the New Jersey-based Lucchese crime family were prosecuted by the federal government on more than 75 criminal counts involving the usual assortment of mob activities. After dragging on for nearly two years, the trial ended with a shocking outcome. Giacomo (Jackie Dee) DiNorscio (Vin Diesel), the goombah antihero of "Find Me Guilty, " alone insisted on representing himself. While driving both the judge (Ron Silver) and the mob kingpin Nick Calabrese (Alex Rocco) into paroxysms of rage and anxiety, Jackie, whose real-life nickname was Fat Jack, clowned and charmed his way into the hearts of the jury like an uncensored late-night talk show host. Mr. Diesel also succeeds in making a dangerous thug almost lovable with his sensational performance. "Find Me Guilty, " Mr. Lumet's first feature film in seven years, catches him near the top of his game. — Stephen Holden