Fresh off of the blatantly transgressive Nightcrawler, Dan Gilroy delivers his next feature, Roman J. Israel, Esq., that walks a similar dark path as his previous film but doesn’t quite get there; including stellar performances from Denzel Washington in the title role, Carmen Ejogo, and a remarkable turn from Colin Farrell; the films irregular narrative tempo misses a few marks and the ending of the film doesn’t quite stick nearly as well as it should.
The film banks on Washington’s affable and charismatic movie star persona as he embodies a civil rights champion and savant who after nearly fifty years of fighting for equality and justice finds himself in the crossroads of fighting the good fight and cashing in on what he missed in his life while focusing completely on his career.
The picture chronicles Washington over the course of three weeks. His current employment ceases to exist, and he reluctantly takes a job at a law firm from the flashy and Gordon Gekko esque Colin Farrell. Washington quickly marches down a rabbit hole the disregards his entire legacy of good, only to capitalize on the materialistic aspects of life.
What’s compromising about the film is, while Washington’s character trajectory is believable, the way plot gets wrapped up feels rushed and a bit forced, jamming pieces into a puzzle that are not really needed nor wanted. Which results in a missed opportunity that is rather a shame, due to the overwhelmingly brilliant aesthetics and composition of the film.
The film takes place in an era of cinema where pay phones played a key aspect to the overall story, and there is a scene midway where Washington is desperately searching for a pay phone that still works. It has a soul soundtrack which shores up the coolness of the visual looks of the film.
The third act is where the film’s taut and cohesive narrative begins to fray away. Parts of the film become less interesting, character motivations are lost as they seemed mechanically forced into situations and exchanges that don’t quite work. The overall message of the film is apparent once the credits begin to roll, but too many shortcuts and false landings help negate the film’s final impact. Regardless of the misfires and narrative struggles, the film is well worth seeing and has a remarkable final shot/credit sequence that is iconic as it is cool.
Review by Frank Mengarelli
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Roman J. Israel, Esq. Review
Summary
The film doesn’t live up to its wicked trailer and misses a few marks, but Denzel Washington and Colin Farrell give stellar performances in a slick and polished looking film steeped in 70s cinema.
