Directed by: Dan Gilroy
Starring: Denzel Washington, Colin Farrell, Carmen Ejogo
Like Nightcrawler (2014), writer-director Dan Gilroy's Roman J. Israel, Esq. gives us a professional on the fringes of his profession who crosses ethical lines in order to get ahead, or in Roman's case a piece of the good life which has eluded him. Or maybe in Roman's case a measure of respect from colleagues who think he is a schnook. Roman does not do much to dissuade their opinion. He is socially awkward, with an Afro which screams 1960's social activist and not 21st century attorney, and wears a sports jacket two sizes too big and a suit which barely passes for one.
Roman is played by Denzel Washington, who through his own charisma is able to make such an odd guy palatable. And Roman is odd indeed, but possesses a savant-like legal mind. As the movie begins, Roman is the behind-the-scenes attorney in a two-man Los Angeles law practice. His partner is the face of the practice in court, while Roman writes briefings and motions. One morning, his partner suffers a fatal heart attack and we see why Roman is kept away from a courtroom while filling in for his partner. He tactlessly earns a contempt of court citation from a judge, while the practice is soon dissolved. An associate of Roman's partner, a slick legal mind named George Pierce (Farrell), hires Roman and at first regrets the decision when Roman pisses off an assistant district attorney by rejecting a plea bargain which results indirectly in the death of a client.
It is at this point where Roman stops toeing the line of legal ethics and dives into murkier waters. I won't say how or why, but it here when Roman J. Israel, Esq. gains a plot and stops being strictly a character study. We see Roman act "practical" as it puts it, but will this end well for him? Unlike Nightcrawler's Louis Bloom, Roman is not a sociopath and maintains a conscience while doing things which are very un-Roman. But he likes it when George begins treating him with respect and doesn't just keep him hidden away in a corner office.
The events of Roman J. Israel, Esq. take place over three weeks, which strains the limits of credulity considering how much happens during that time. It feels much longer. But in the center of it all is Washington, who gives us a little more than just a nerdy man with tics and a weird wardrobe. There is a sense of an ethical struggle mixing with a practical one. "I'm tired of doing the impossible for the ungrateful," he tells George, whose own vision of his big-time L.A. firm may be going in the opposite direction. I was impressed with Farrell, who takes a character we think we have figured out and unleashes a few surprises on us. He paints George with broad strokes as a slick, rich, power-hungry lawyer, but we also see the nice touches of humanity peeking out from behind his expensive suits.
The scenes between Roman and George are a study in opposites at first, but then they move toward more common ground. They are the best things about the movie. Roman gains a love interest, a civil rights activist named Maya (Ejogo), who allows Roman to reawaken her inner protester. But, that relationship feels tacked on, as if we needed a love story thrown in right about now. Roman J. Israel, Esq. moves along though and doesn't waste time. We sense things will not end well for Roman and the movie works best when the noose caused by his own ethical lapses begins to tighten around him. Roman J. Israel, Esq. is not a typical movie. It is about an unusual character more than plot and the funny thing is, Washington attempts to dial down his charisma but it still shines through anyway.
No comments:
Post a Comment