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"When they f--- with me," Jackie DiNorscio says, "they wake a sleeping giant." Actually, it's more like they bring his inner standup comedian to his feet. DiNorscio is the wild card in the longest trial in American history, a 21-month extravaganza aimed at the Lucchese crime family of New Jersey. There are 20 defendants and they all have defense attorneys except Jackie, who represents himself. His participation makes the trial curiously similar to Mystery Science Theater 3000, with dopey characters marching through profundities while Jackie cracks jokes.
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Jackie is played by Vin Diesel, something I didn't know going in. It took a while to see through the makeup to Diesel, playing a paunchy goombah who is already serving a 30-year sentence when the trial begins. He's offered a deal: Testify against his fellow villains, and get a reduction in his sentence. "I don't rat on my friends," he says. That's for sure. He even forgives a cousin who pumps four bullets into him. "I love him" he says. "Live and let live." When the cops ask him to name the shooter, he intones, "My eyes were shut the whole time." Diesel is a good choice for this role, bringing it sincerity without nobility.