Synopsis
Hard-nosed liberal lawyer Roman J. Israel has been fighting the good fight forever while others take the credit. When his partner – the firm's frontman – has a heart attack, Israel suddenly takes on that role. He soon discovers some unsettling truths about the firm – truths that conflict with his values of helping the poor and dispossessed – and finds himself in an existential crisis that leads to extreme actions.
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Cast
- Denzel WashingtonRoman J. Israel
- Colin FarrellGeorge Pierce
- Carmen EjogoMaya Alston
- Lynda GravattVernita Wells
- Amanda WarrenLynn Jackson
- Hugo ArmstrongFritz Molinar
- Sam GilroyConnor Novick
- Tony PlanaJessie Salinas
- DeRon HortonDerrell Ellerbee
- Amari CheatomCarter Johnson
Recommendations
- 93
IGN
Fiercely intelligent and deeply suspenseful, Roman J. Israel, Esq. is an absorbing morality tale from writer/director Dan Gilroy, and boasts one of Denzel Washington’s finest performances. - 83
The Film Stage
Roman J. Israel, Esq. might not be the courtroom drama fans have been expecting. Instead, it’s a character study filled with insight and originality. - 80
The Guardian
Even in the film’s less successful moments, I admired the loose shagginess of it all. - 70
New York Magazine (Vulture)
This is a formula movie but Gilroy is no hack. He hits the expected beats but with more color and depth than you expect. - 67
The Playlist
Gilroy has fashioned a character study that has moments that are incredibly well written.... What’s extremely disappointing is that the screenplay’s through line is simply not that interesting. - 63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
The plot finds loopholes as it rambles ahead semi-plausibly to its conclusion. Audiences will no doubt applaud this entertaining film, but the case is under appeal. - 60
The Hollywood Reporter
Unfortunately, something at the center just doesn’t hold, and it flies apart over the course of 133 minutes into confusing shards of plot, legalese-heavy monologues and, perhaps most surprising of all given Gilroy’s bona fides, a touch of soggy sentimentality in the home stretch. - 60
Screen Daily
Denzel Washington gives a terrifically off-kilter performance in Roman J. Israel, Esq., a fascinating and flawed character study that frustratingly can’t meld all its ambitions into a coherent and satisfying whole.
