It’s pretty late in the date for a rollicking courtroom ‘Goomba’ comedy (Scorsese & ‘The Sopranos’ have permanently altered the field), but except for it’s dead-on-arrival title, this is the best pic from veteran helmer Sidney Lumet in decades. Action star Vin Diesel works his tail off to convince us he’s a sad-sack, street-smart ‘made man,’ and he largely gets away with it. But for the movie to really take off, you need the sort of actor who can ‘run the show,’ which is currently beyond Diesel's abilities. Fortunately, there’s a gaggle of fine supporting players (Ron Silver, Alex Rocco, Peter Dinklage, & a ton of wise guys with tasty shtick licks) and Lumet is old enough and has been around long enough to know how to stage huge scenes & particularize a large cast w/ simple elegance, camera movement that serves the action & the occasional well-timed kinetic cut.
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