Roman J. Israel, Esq.

(spoiler free)

If it wasn’t for Denzel Washington’s Oscar nomination for his leading role here ‘Roman J. Israel, Esq.’ may very well have flown under the radar for many film fans. The lack of promotion for the film has been quite staggering especially considering it’s written & directed by Dan Gilroy who also wrote & directed the critically acclaimed ‘Nightcrawler’. The film focuses on Washington’s character, a lawyer, Roman, who changes law firms due to circumstances out of his own control.

The cast for the film are predictably impressive, the fact that Gilroy helped bring Jake Gyllenhaal’s legendary turn as Lou Bloom to the big screen showcases how he can get the very best from his casts. ‘Roman J. Israel, Esq.’ is only further evidence of this. Whilst there aren’t any performances quite as remarkable as Gyllenhaal’s here there is a fantastic display of talent featured. Washington expertly portrays his complex character who shows signs of being on the autism spectrum whilst also dealing with complicated legal proceedings in a cohesive and convincing manner, deserving that Oscar nomination for sure. His main co-star is Colin Farrell who plays the owner of a large law firm and rocks a fantastic array of suits throughout the film. Farrell is effortlessly believable in this role and his characters more professional manner offers an interesting contrast to that of Washington’s who is more unconventional in his methods. Carmen Ejogo completes the main cast and although her moments in the narrative sometimes drag she’s good in her role and often mirrors the feelings of the audience who share her bemusement with the titular character.

The narrative itself takes on a lot and the screenplay is packed full of several different types of film. As the film progresses through it’s initial stages it appears to be a quirky character study of this fascinating individual alongside a legal drama, yet one without much direction as it meanders from scene to scene. However, as the film develops it takes one big narrative turn which progresses the film into more of a crime thriller. Each of these elements to the story work well in isolation however when they are put together as one they somewhat disrupt the natural flow of the story telling and contribute to an uneven tone. Nonetheless much of the content of this narrative is interestingly contemplative exploring topics such as justice, ethics & morality which will only enrich the engagement of audiences. It would be the moments in which these discussions took place, or when sequences of heightened drama occurred which would draw you back into the often disjointed overall story which at times does struggle to keep you fully engaged.

As a result it’s fair to conclude that ‘Roman J. Israel, Esq.’ is a film better in sections than as a whole. It’s not sure exactly what it wants to be and in the process ends up as a combination of stories and tones which just don’t gel as effectively as are required to create a more well rounded film. Despite this there’s still plenty on offer here. The performances are always on point and there are flurries of inspired writing littered throughout the screenplay. It’s not the impressive directorial debut that was ‘Nightcrawler’, but it’s still wholly worth your time and a competent entry into Gilroy’s growing directorial filmography.

Written by Hamish Calvert

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Rating – 7.5/10

Question: What is your favourite film that was a directorial debut?
(Leave your answers in the comments section below!)

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