Denzel plays a law savant
DENZEL’S CHARACTER IS MEMORABLE: BUT NO COURT BATTLES – AND NARRATIVE IS WEAK
Two lawyers, one a shark and the other an idealist, work together with trouble.
Denzel Washington, an actor with the uncanny ability to slip inside the skin of a character, anchors this often engaging legal drama about a savant lawyer. He received an Oscar nomination for this part.
Washington has played numerous telling roles over several decades and an important facet of his craft is the power of his look and delivery, which fall into the same, familiar patterns no matter which character he inhabits.
It is disconcerting sometimes because you still recognise him as Denzel Washington.
His character here is a criminal attorney in his early ’60s, who has been working in the same Los Angeles law office for decades. His partner handles the court appearances, while Roman takes care of the paperwork. Their clients are the poor and down-and-out.
When the partner dies, Roman’s life changes dramatically when the firm is dissolved and he has to find another job.
Roman is an unusual type of character, still rooted in the ’70s era of social protest when activism was about litigating justice. He is also trapped in a time machine in both dress and demeanour.
He sports an Afro, wears plastic aviator spectacles and a mismatching three-piece suit. He could be considered eccentric, a law savant whose legal thoughts tumble out at a rate of knots.
He’s obsessive, repetitive, and firmly set in his ways. He doesn’t own a car and walks around Los Angeles plugged into his headphones, carrying a box-like leather briefcase. It contains the bound pages of a class-action lawsuit that he’s been assembling for years, with thousands of clients.
I’m providing these details because it’s important to understand the dynamics of the character and how he fits into the unfolding drama. He is the key factor. And he has a passion for social justice. But he’s not an easy fit.
Enter George (a slick Colin Farrell), who is one of the partner’s old students. He agrees to oversee the dissolution process.
When he discovers Roman’s encyclopaedic abilities, he offers him a job at his own sleek LA firm. Roman could use the pay cheque — without it, he’s facing destitution. Besides, who else would hire him?
Farrell plays George as a man with the shark-like attitude of a corporate lawyer who wants to help people without reducing his firm to a charity.
That’s where Roman comes in: He’s a desperate idealist with the mind of a legal calculator. That’s the idea. But will it work out?
Dan Gilroy’s production has many compelling elements and Washington’s performance is first-rate.
Strangely enough, though, the film never soars to great heights. It’s a legal drama without a courtroom battle and devoid of a strong narrative spine. In the end, one is left with a character one won’t easily forget, but wishing that the movie were as haunting as its key character.