Roman J. Israel, Esq.
Directed by Dan Gilroy
- drama
- crime
- thriller
The story
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.
What it’s like
Cool, washed-out Los Angeles daylight and cramped, cluttered interiors: a dim one-room office lit by desk lamps and grey window glare, fluorescent corridors, the sun-bleached sprawl of the city seen through car windows. Camera work is restless but controlled, with handheld close-ups that stay tight on Denzel Washington's face and long, uneasy takes in courtrooms and hallways. The score is sparse and jittery, built on a few repeated figures, and the soundscape leans on traffic hum, typewriter-clack legal bustle and the rasp of breathing. The vibe is rumpled melancholy with a current of unease, the feeling of a late weeknight spent in a rented apartment with too much coffee and too many thoughts. It suits a quiet evening alone, or a viewer who wants a character study rather than a snappy legal thriller. Pacing is deliberate and sometimes awkward, and the emotional register stays somber and lonely. The film follows a rigid idealist who is slowly unmoored by the compromises around him, a man whose principles harden into something brittle. Intensity is moderate: a few sudden, sharp moments of violence and a murder that lands abruptly, with no gore and little on-screen cruelty beyond tense confrontation and a sense of threat. It is for people who want a meditative, morally weighted drama with a strong central performance and an unvarnished view of urban legal life.
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