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The movie centers on mobster Giacomo 'Jackie' DiNorscio, who faces a series of charges even though he has a prior 30-year conviction, but he decides to defend himself in court for what would be the longest mafia trial in U.S. history.
If watching a jury disregard mountains of damning evidence in favor of a charismatic gangster who calls himself a "gagster" seems a morally challenging proposition, well that's all part of the bargain in Lumet's topical drama.
As Vin Diesel plays him in a likable, image-adjusting turn -- prosthetically fat, thick of Jersey accent -- Jackie (who died in 2004) was about as sweet as a career criminal can be.
Could not be more relevant at a repressive time in US history when the erosion and abuse of civil rights of those presumed guilty is nearly as big an issue as the plight of the innocent.
Lumet orchestrates the machinations with the confidence of a master, but even he cannot quite manage to sustain the interest for the protracted arguments to run their course.
What on the surface seems like a regular court drama with a little humor thrown in for good measure actually works as a wicked satire on the American judicial system.
It's hard to do anything in court that hasn't been done before. It's a static situation, and points are scored in tiny increments. No big witness-stand breakdowns, no tearful confessions. Thus, boredom creeps in.