Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017)
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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Greetings from Lithuania.Given a very mixed reviews by critics as well audience of "Roman J. Israel, Esq." (2017) i was kinda skeptical about this movie before watching it. I was wrong. This movie is a splendid character study drama that little by little involves into suspenseful thriller / drama - and i won't spoil anything. At its core its a great, not predictable or formulaic story about morality. Overall, "Roman J. Israel, Esq." is a great and kinda unique story about morality seen by its main character, amazingly played by the great Denzel Washington. Colin Farrell gave also a very good performance. Directing and especially script by Dan Gilroy ("Nightcrawler") were superb - this is an intelligent story so refreshing and "not by a numbers" superhero movie about real people, their actions and consequences. Superb movie.
This is one of those films that draws you in at the start. Intriguing story and good acting. Then half way through, it's like a different writer/director takes over and when it's over, your left thinking did I just waste two hours of my life on this?
To watch Denzel Washington perform in any one of his films is enjoyable. This story of an attorney dedicated to righting the wrongs of society finds himself violating his own principles when a requirement for the basic needs of life overtakes his idealism. If you like Washington, you'll like this performance.
About 45 minutes into the movie I said to my wife while watching the DVR of this movie : "see I know how to pick movies" with an air of self satisfaction usually reserved for more profound exclamation.s. As the movie continued to slog toward it's very welcomed end, I became increasingly anxious that my reputation would suffer tremendously. Sad to say I am now in the process of making amends that will take years to pay. The acting was only ok as well,unusual for Mr. Washington. O well, no one is perfect. Anyway, in summary, the movie starts off promising although not original and meanders off a cliff. A very tall cliff by the way, so save your money and go see Death of Stalin.