Washington faces trials as ‘Roman J. Israel, Esq.’
A legal drama showcasing a lead character who has a behavioral disorder that makes him a savant, but also makes him unable to appear in court, “Roman J. Israel, Esq.” is nothing if not painfully contrived. Its greatest asset is, of course,
MOVIE REVIEW “ROMAN J. ISRAEL, ESQ.” Rated PG-13. At AMC Loews Boston Common, Regal Fenway Stadium and suburban theaters. Grade: B-
twotime Academy Award winner Denzel Washington, wearing a small Afro, 1970sera clothes and padding to make him appear fat, in the flashy title role.
Roman, who will remind some of firebrand Ivy League educator Cornel West, can recall innumerable laws and regulations and rattle them off verbatim. He lives and works in Los Angeles and does not own a car and is such a throwback to the American civil rights era, I was not certain when the film was set.
In opening scenes, Roman’s mentor and law partner has a massive heart attack, forcing Roman out from a back office and into the open. Because of Roman’s awkwardness and Tourette’s syndromelike way of saying something offensive, he has been kept hidden away with his aged computer and cellphone, where his brilliance could work its magic in hiding.
To tell you the truth, I’m not quite sure how Roman’s brilliance was put to use because the murky outlines of the film’s screenplay by writerdirector Dan Gilroy (“Nightcrawler”) has the firm on life support when Roman’s partner was stricken. Office manager Vernita (Lynda Gravatt) seems to be Roman’s lifeline. But her role in the film is illdefined (Were her scenes cut?).
When Roman becomes available after his mentor’s daughter (Amanda Warren, making the most of a little) shuts the firm’s doors, he is courted by a hotshot outfit led by posh legal eagle George Pierce (Colin Farrell). Roman’s chief job is apparently to attract more diverse clients. We also know Roman is working on a massive brief, a lawsuit requiring the U.S. government to answer the question: Why are so many criminal cases settled out of court, not giving the accused a chance to have his or her case heard by a jury of his or her peers anymore?
The brief sheds light upon one of the greatest scandals in American history, that the U.S. legal system, especially in regard to criminal cases, favors the rich. If you are not rich, you have no choice but to take the government deal, however onerous, or face the threat of a much more serious sentence.
Roman is also a jazz enthusiast and vinylrecording audiophile, who calls to complain every night about illegal construction being done next door to his apartment building. In another subplot, Roman meets and has an unlikely budding romance with a beautiful, considerably younger neighborhood activist named Maya Alston (Carmen Ejogo).
In a shaggy dog development, Roman appears to do something unethical and goes on a spending spree with his illgotten gains. Farrell looks good in his suits, but the role is just a suit, too. And however much we admire Washington, as a film and a character, “Roman J. Israel, Esq.” remains in the shadows. After the film ends, they both fade away.