Roman J. Israel, Esq 2017

     The setting of this film is the overburdened Los Angeles criminal court system.  Roman Israel is a defense attorney working with his partner William Jackson for a salary of $500 a week.  Roman is responsible for preparing briefs and he often focuses on the civil rights of their defendants.  William is the owner of the firm and a well-respected professor.  He handles the courtroom appearances.  Roman struggles with presenting in the courtroom.  He is driven, idealistic and he finds himself in a crises.  His partner William has been taken to the hospital after a heart attack and he passes away.  This leaves the law firm in limbo about it’s future because of debt.  Roman meets George Pierce and he’s known to be a wealthy and cutthroat lawyer.  George recruits Roman but his future remains unsure.  Roman mishandles the first case he receives from George.  He also goes against his often-stated code of ethics? 

     There is a LOT going on in this film and Roman sometimes makes bad decisions!!  He’s used to his former small firm, his low profile and low income.  This new job forces him to face what he couldn’t face before in the courtroom.  Plus, he suddenly becomes greedy, self-centered and he makes unnecessary bad decisions?  Sometimes the plot is difficut to follow and there needs to be more depth.  3* (This movie is OK)    

122 min, Crime directed by Dan Gilroy with Denzel Washington, Colin Farrell, Carmen Ejogo, Lynda Gravatt, Amanda Warren, Hugo Armstrong, Sam Gilroy, Tony Plana, DeRon Horton, Amari Cheatom, Vince Cefalu.

Note:  Imdb 6.4 out of 10, 52% critic 55% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 1*, Amazon Video 3.9* out of 5* with 408 reviews. Metacritic 58 out of 100 with 41 critics 6.3 out of 10 with 57 reviews,

Special Note:  Filmed in Los Angeles and Santa Clarita, California.  After the premiere at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival, director Dan Gilroy and Denzel Washington re-structured and re-focused parts of the story.  As a result, 12 minutes of footage was cut.  There’s a visible gap between Washington’s two front teeth?  He had the gap fixed with dental caps after high school.  He decided the gap added to this character.  Some of Roman’s problems could be the result of being delivered by forceps.  This procedure can sometimes cause brain damage, psychological or mental disorders.  There is a mistake with the BMW that Pierce is driving.  In the beginning, he has new California Legacy license plates but at the end of the film he has the same car with standard license plates.  The entire film happens over three weeks but Roman states that William has been in a coma for several weeks at the beginning of the film.