The Movie: Roman J. Israel, Esq.
The Director: Dan Gilroy (Nightcrawler)
The Cast: Denzel Washington, Carmen Ejogo, Colin Farrell
The Story: Roman J. Israel, Esq., a driven, idealistic defense attorney, finds himself in a tumultuous series of events that lead to a crisis and the necessity for extreme action.
The Review:
This is a very interesting movie that has a lot to say but doesn't quite know how to say it. Dan Gilroy's latest film follows the life of the title character from the point of a tragedy that alters the course of his life and then through several twists and unexpected turns. Denzel, of course, is really good and his star power shines through a muddled and confusing script that tries really hard to keep from falling apart.
As the twists and turns are happening, Colin Farrell and Carmen Ejogo's characters are woven in and out of the narrative although the relationships they have with Denzel's character are just as perplexing as the story itself. Farrell keeps alternating between bad guy and good guy so often, you never know who he really is or what his character is really about. Ejogo is inserted as an awkward love interest which to me was just weird considering the age difference of the actors but hey, who am I to judge?
The Verdict:
Roman J. Israel, Esq. is a good movie but doesn't stand out like I was hoping it would. Great casting was wasted on a story that ends up being not nearly as interesting as it was intended to be.
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