Film Review: "Roman J. Israel, Esq." (2017).

"If you can't break the law, break the system." This is Roman J. Israel, Esq. This legal drama film written and directed by Dan Gilroy. Set in the underbelly of the overburdened Los Angeles criminal court system, Roman Israel, a driven, idealistic defense attorney who, through a tumultuous series of events, finds himself in a crisis that leads to extreme action. George Pierce, the monied, cutthroat lawyer, recruits Roman to his firm.

In late August 2016, after the critical and financial success of Nightcrawler, it was revealed that Gilroy's next directorial project was Inner City, a legal drama in the vein of The Verdict (1982). Gilroy was then courting Denzel Washington to star. By late April 2017, Washington was confirmed to star, with Colin Farrell, Carmen Ejogo, Shelley Hennig, and Amanda Warren rounding out the cast. At the same time, with a budget of $22 million, principal photography commenced, and took place in Los Angeles. The film shot on the Arri Alexa Mini, Arri Alexa XT, and Panavision Panaflex Millennium XL2 cameras, with Panavision Super Speed MKII, Panavision Super Speed MKII, Panavision Primo, Super Speed MKII and Zeiss Macro Lenses, in the 1.85: 1 aspect ratio. In late June 2017, the film was renamed Roman J. Israel, Esq.

The film stars Washington, Farrell, Ejogo, Hennig, and Warren. Washington gives a brilliant performance in this powerful David and Goliath tale of a man's quest for justice in the face of a corrupt system. Washington has the role of his later career. He uses some of his charm, and sparingly smiles. He not only embodies Roman J. Israel, but that he IS Roman J. Israel, and you feel for him with every shot of every scene involving the legal system. He goes into court a hero and comes out a defeated man in this superb legal drama about a man finding justice. Gilroy was convinced that Washington was the perfect actor for the film; and he was completely right. This is realistic American film acting at its veristic/imaginative best. The acting is good, and it maintains your interest. But at certain times, the actors mechanically repeat a script that wasn't written with originality.

When a movie contains names as Washington and Gilroy, it is hard not to have high hopes. Yet Roman J. Israel, Esq. meets these aspirations, and in the process presents some of the best work by these three revered figures of American cinema. The film is the first courtroom drama in years to recapture the flawed nature of the legal system. The performances, the dialogue and the plot all work together like a rare machine. Gilroy directs effectively, keeping the tension strong, and unfolding his solid screenplay slowly but with maximum impact. Not an action flick by any means, the film is a slow burn from frame one to the end. Gilroy's script is a bit theatrical for courtroom drama, but it's his direction and Washington's nuanced performance, who uses silences and pauses as eloquently as dialogue, that distinguish the picture.

Simon says Roman J. Israel, Esq. receives:

Also, see my review for Nightcrawler.