Jugez-moi coupable

How does it go again? Family and friends come first? Old man Sidney Lumet demonstrated that he’s still got it, even though he’s approaching ninety. And Vin Diesel shows that he can act characters different than ultra-tough guys like Riddick or Dom Toretto. It works on your feelings and takes full advantage of the fact that he’s every inch a nice guy. A really nice movie that flies by despite its length. And Vin’s husky voice deals out one snappy line after another. Send me to jail. I'm not guilty, but I'm used to it. (14/02/2010)

From the opening scene, it is a captivating spectacle with Lumet's perfectly swift direction, great atmosphere, and above all, the genius of Diesel, whose performance took my breath away. At first glance, he displays his standard, but on closer look, it is evident that he is not just an actor for roles like the fast and furious Toretto, but also a bit of a directorial artist and a character artist. This is a gangster film like I've never seen before. (08/03/2007)

Even though Diesel isn't as handsome here as he is now, I have to admit that this is quite possibly his best role. Movies like this have to have a charismatic hero, otherwise no one would care. Vin Diesel handled it brilliantly and with aplomb. One of the better ones from the courtroom. 4 stars. (09/12/2011)

Sidney Lumet has experience with courtroom dramas, and many perceive this film as a direct continuation of the legendary 12 Angry Men. Lumet probably wanted to approach his film as a tribute to the American judicial system based on the function of lay juries deciding guilt and innocence - similar to his acclaimed classic. However, at least for me, this film represents the exact opposite, a warning about the functioning of lay juries, which can be easily manipulated, and lawyers turning the courtroom into a farce in an attempt to impress them. I did not feel any sympathy for the main character, who, as the prosecutor correctly noted, is nothing more than a heartless criminal along with the other defendants, and I consider the court verdict a mockery of the concept of justice. Furthermore, a runtime of over two hours is a bit too much for the setting of a single courtroom. Someone might be impressed by the fact that the beloved action hero can also handle a character role nicely, but in this case, I have long known that Diesel can act and that using him exclusively in dumb action movies is a waste. Overall impression: 55%. (17/06/2012)