I was surprised to see the criminals win the trial and how the movie made Vin Diesel seem like a hero. Usually gangster movies end with their downfall. And people say The Godfather glorifies organized crime? At least The Godfather movies end on a depressing note.
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now go home and get your fuckin shine box!
This was real history, and much of the dialog came straight from the trial transcript. The jury evidently didn't think much of the government's case. American juries get it right 9 times out of 10. Another good example was the Michael Jackson trial; the jury was led by the evidence to a verdict of not guilty, in spite of their dislike for MJ.
shareThe whole movie is about the irony of the way people romanticize the mob. Organize crime makes all of our lives more expensive, difficult, and maybe dangerous; hopefully indirectly if you're lucky. Yet, they're almost heroes to some. That's what I took from the "He's cute???" speech by the prosecutor.
Amy: I swear to God...I swear to God! That is NOT how you treat your human!
I don't know about the real life trial, but the evidence in the film's massive Rico trial was circumstantial, with lousy witnesses. The state probably would have one of they tried everyone individually.
shareRICO's a copout. It's like "disturbing the peace" or "stunting". Catchall laws that make a cop's and judge's job easier. Defend against "disturbing the peace" in court, I dare ya.
A cop could say you farted in an elevator and you "disturbed the peace". Even though you know you shouldn't have been charged, now you have to go to court and hope to hell you get a judge who isn't an idiot.
Anytime you do something the police don't like and they don't have a specific law to apply they use these laws to threaten you or charge you. What a joke.
It's like The Patriot Act in The States. A bunch of laws that play fast and loose with constitution and the bill of rights but makes the cops', the government's and the courts' jobs easier.
And down it goes from there. Now you've got yourself a president (a student of the constitution...yeah right!) who has no problem whacking his own citizens without a trial. Yeah the mob and the terrorists are the only threat. Read that last sentence with heavy sarcasm.
I guess what it comes down to is a question: What do you prefer; freedom or security?
I'll take freedom every time but the cowardly, old men in power disagree. They don't understand that we all die sometime and no matter what, terrorists or criminals do, our quality of life is tied to liberty, not security.
I was with ya right up until you had to go and bash on Obama.
I agree with most of it though. We are quickly turning into a police state. Our rights are being whittled away little by little and police departments are becoming so aggressive that jay walking can now get you tazed and tackled and beaten, or even shot.... because you "of course went for the cop's gun".
Oh god is that line getting old, Seems every idiot in the country is trying to take police officer's guns! At what point do we say... prove it. After a million more dead people 'went for the gun'? Two million? Never?
Anyway.. this was an awesome movie.