Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017, PG-13)

By all accounts, this film was a flop.  It didn’t recoup its budget at the box office, the reviews were middling, and plenty of people will characterize it as Denzel Washington doing good work in a bad movie.  But while this film doesn’t match up to some of the other Oscar movies I’ve seen this season, my opinion of it wasn’t that lackluster.

The titular Roman J. Israel, Esq. is a dedicated criminal defense lawyer with a background in civil rights.  His social skills leave a lot to be desired, but what he lacks in poise he makes up for in staggering knowledge and a fierce devotion to justice.  When the firm where he works has to close up shop due to his partner’s sudden health emergency, Roman is reluctantly snatched up by George, a suave legal shark who sees clients as easy cash grabs.  Roman struggles against the fast-moving current of amoral complacency at his new firm, but the harder he fights, the more he wonders if it’s really worth it.

I’ll cop that it’s not a great movie, and maybe it doesn’t quite accomplish what it sets out to do, but it’s an interesting movie that explores some worthwhile themes about the relationship between activism and law in social justice, the overuse of plea deals in the legal defense system, and the ethical hardship of pouring one’s life into a worthy goal that never seems to grow any closer.  The film sets up good questions, but the way it goes about examing them can sometimes feel too on-the-nose or surfacy.

We’re here because of Denzel Washington’s nominated lead-actor performance as Roman, so let’s get right to it.  Roman’s an intriguing character – he’s intelligent, principled, and can do tremendous work for his clients, but he often approaches matters both awkwardly and with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer, and in an environment where everyone is as slick as they are conniving, Roman’s blunt edges stick out sharply.  Washington really captures the discomfort that Roman brings to any room – it’s almost like anti-charisma, which, for a movie star of his renown, takes definite talent.

But while Washington is obviously the main attraction here, he’s not the only cast member of note.  Colin Farrell turns in a reliable performance as George – he’s good at playing charming but disingenuous, so that’s of course what we see when George enters the scene, although there winds up being more going on within that.  The film also features Carmen Ejogo, who brings nice presence to Maya, an activist Roman encounters.  Ejogo does a fine job with the role, but I also mention her because I know her best as Madam Picquery in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.  Although she and Farrell only share one scene, the mini Fantastic Beasts reunion still makes me smile.

Warnings

Brief violence, language, drinking, and thematic elements.