Find Me Guilty

Just saw this beautiful beautiful movie that has rekindled the mind after being down and out for pretty much the whole day. Vin Diesel, looking nothing like his hairless muscled self, turns in one of the best performances I have seen as small time goon Jackie Di. And like all those unbelievable stories, this one is true as well. The saying is true. Truth does make fiction look as bland as baby food.

Jackie Di (no relation to Lady Di) is in prison for selling coke. The public prosecutor, driven by some sadistic sense of justice, wants to nail the biggest mob family of 80's New Jersey. There is only one problem. He has absolutely no proof whatsoever. Not to be undone, he undertakes the project of arm twisting Jacky Di in order to procure a confession. However, our hero is not willing to sell out his 'family', even though they marginalize him continuously. There are more defendants than can be counted with one's fingers, and some of them have high profile lawyers. Jackie D, armed with a Grade 6 education and copious amounts of humor and charm, decides to defend himself. The trial lasted a record breaking two years, with lots of drama to boot like hospital beds in the courtroom and irreproachable swearing by the protagonist, resulting in grave contempt of the court. The jury stumps all parties involved by reaching a decision in comparatively lighting quick time. Sidney Lumet's masterpiece also has a brilliant performance by Peter Dinklage as the midget chief council of the defendants, a metaphor for the David and Goliath story. It's refreshing to see him do justice to a serious role rather than running around in green tights or some kind of clown outfit. The movie ends on an ironic sliver of hope. Personally, this anti-establishment saga couldn't have come after a more horrible day at work. Maybe that was part of the charm. Also pointed out how trivial all my worries are compared to that of so many other people in this world.

What saddens me is that this movie only has a rating of 7.1 on IMDB, even as I Am Legend, whose USP is men turning into canine-feasting zombies, becomes the biggest opener of December ever and the very juvenile Alvin and the Chipmunks already grosses 14 times more than a great movie like No Country for Old Men. I guess this just proves that the general audience everywhere just looks at a movie as a two to three hour popcorn crunching experience that has GOT to entertain them, rather than as a work of art, as memories of the old Aunty next to me sobbing like it was her wedding day during the closing sequences of Aaja Nachle still haunt me.