Some films are made purely for entertainment while some speak to a deep part of us, touching on themes of morality and social justice. Roman J. Israel Esq. (2017), a not-so-recent thriller/legal drama featuring Denzel Washington, falls into the latter category.
Washington has long distinguished himself as a skilled and compelling actor, and his movies do make sense, if I may say so. His forte is often crime thrillers with the exception of The Pelican Brief that is a legal drama/thriller and now, Roman J. Israel Esq. I dived into this movie with much anticipation and wasn't disappointed.
You might expect a mind-blowing viewing experience but I would warn you to pump the brakes and watch this film with an open mind.
Washington plays Roman J. Israel Esq., an old school lawyer who works as a solicitor (research and drafting briefs) in a criminal defense law firm in Los Angeles. His partner, William Jackson, is the public face of the firm—appears in court and meets with clients.
Roman comes to the office one morning and hears that William Jackson suffered a heart attack and is in a vegetative state at the hospital. The mantle falls on him to keep the firm running. He attends court on his partner's behalf, attending to the cases based on his convictions.
He feels unappreciated when George Pierce (played by Colin Farrell) introduces himself as the new owner of the law firm as endorsed by William Jackson.
Pierce hires Roman into his prestigious law firm with modern facilities, expecting the middle-aged attorney to adjust to their contemporary approach. Roman struggles to maintain his conviction when he's tasked with defending an innocent young man accused of murder. Will he stand by his beliefs when temptation comes knocking or be swayed by the system to compromise?
Review
No doubt Denzel Washington is a great actor and he brings Roman J. Israel to life with remarkable enthusiasm and depth. The film is about this unique character who wears cheap suits, keeps an afro and walks with a slight waddle.
I refer to Roman as unique because there are very few people like him in professional disciplines. The man lives like a monk, is focused on his work all day and night, and sticks to the letter of the law. He's the kind of person who reports a noisy neighbour while citing the exact legal statute to back up his complaint. Also, he has no friends or family. His mannerisms resemble those of someone on the spectrum though this wasn't stated explicitly in the film.
The plot of this film is brilliant, portraying the moral/immoral parts of a person and what it takes to change to either side. The storytelling is well done but I would fault the pacing—it's slow. That's the reason why I warned at the beginning of this review to keep an open mind.
The film, with a runtime of over two hours, doesn't immediately get to the core of the story. Instead it acquaints the audience with the lead character and by all accounts, his life is boring. But he's portrayed in a way that draws curiosity. You would want to know why Roman lives an isolated life, why he's old-fashioned in his speech and manners, why he's interested in civil rights fights and believes in working hard for a good cause, and so on. As you watch, you'll pity him and also want to cheer him on.
Roman Israel never receives the credit he deserves in his career. He tries to fight for it, makes a critical misstep, attempts to remedy it and things end tragically. The film reveals that he wrote a substantial brief that could reshape prosecution of cases in the United States though the subject and content of this brief is unclear.
All in all, this is a compelling movie that delves into the complexity of morality vis-a-vis legal and financial contexts. It's not for everyone. The rating is low and this shows that not many people are interested in legal dramas or talks on social justice. Sometimes we need movies like this to compel reflection and possible change in the society. Still, I find this film interesting and would recommend it to thoughtful viewers.
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Thumbnail Image, Fair Use
Other images are screenshots from the movie
