ROMAN J. ISRAEL, ESQ. (12A)
SCREENWRITER Dan Gilroy conjures a conflicted and socially awkward (anti)hero, who cheats the system with tragic repercussions for the people around him.
The film is anchored by a scintillating, Oscarnominated performance from Denzel Washington as the eponymous legal savant, who conceals his genius behind a shambolic appearance, oversized and ill-fitting clothes, large spectacles and an unruly Afro, and a complete lack of social niceties.
Washington’s mesmerising portrayal throws into sharp relief the fatal flaws in Gilroy’s uneven script, which struggles to find a narrative thread strong enough to bear the weight of the leading man’s nervous tics.
Roman J. Israel (Washington) is the brilliant mind that lurks in the shadows of a Los Angeles law firm fronted by charismatic champion of the people, William Henry Jackson. Together, they wage legal war against a corrupt system, running the business into the ground in the process.
The film is an intriguing character study in desperate search of a coherent plot.
Washington is fearless, shuffling on the fringes of unlikeability as his recluse alienates friends and colleagues including a pretty activist (Carmen Ejogo).
His tour-de-force theatrics suck most of the oxygen out of the film. Consequently, supporting performances have little chance to breathe.
If writer-director Gilroy penned a satisfying conclusion to the title character’s churning inner turmoil, he evidently left it on the cutting room floor.
Case closed with a deeply unsatisfying whimper.