61. Roman J. Israel, Esq.; movie review

ROMAN J. ISRAEL ESQ
Cert 12A
122 mins
BBFC advice: Contains infrequent strong language, moderate violence

We rarely see Denzel Washington on the big screen outside of January and February because this is award season and he is so often, deservedly in the mix.
No exception here - his portrayal of a well-meaning but eccentric lawyer has earned him Oscar nomination number eight.
I don't think he will win because he is up against Gary Oldman's Churchill but he is certainly deserving of loud praise.
However, despite laudable intentions and a great central performance, Dan Gilroy's Roman J. Israel Esq. doesn't quite hit the highest mark.
Washington's title character appears to have savant syndrome in that he struggles to relate to people but has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the law.
This attribute means that he has been a valued if not always commercially-astute backroom staff associate of a tiny law firm.
Sadly, when his boss of more than two decades falls into a coma after a heart attack, he is left rudderless.
Colin Farrell plays the slick-suited lawyer who is brought in to disband the firm and tries to take Roman J. Israel under his wing.
However, Israel is bedevilled by the need to tell the truth and it transpires that in the legal industry that is not always the best policy.
He also has ideas which are way above his station, causing more than a stir among the senior staff.
Washington plays Israel as a man whose guiding principles, driven by the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, is at odds with modern society.
There is also more than a hint of a religious undertone. The title itself prompts the audience to consider the Israelite being harangued by people who "know not what they do."
The latter are represented by many with whom he comes into contact, ranging from fellow lawyers to those who have modernised the civil rights agenda.
Meanwhile, curiously, Roman Israel carries with him a case which contains scripts which he believes could change an unjust legal system and eventually the world but which nobody wants to read.
It prompted me to wonder whether Gilroy's film was asking what would happen if there really was a second coming? If someone who is fundamentally good and bright is ignored, would Jesus be?


Reasons to watch: Washington is as brilliant as usual
Reasons to avoid: Despite his best efforts, the film doesn't hit highest gears

Laughs: a couple of chuckles
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 7.5/10

Director's quote - Dan Gilroy: "Roman is the guy who believes too deeply. He’s utterly uncompromising; it’s his strength and his weakness. The genesis of that idea was remembering the ’60s, and all the people saying we’re gonna change the world. But over the decades, everybody left, everybody sort of frittered away."

The big question - Just how broken is the legal system in the US (and the UK)?

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