Roman J Israel Esq: A committed performance from Denzel Washington
DENZEL Washington joins Daniel Day-Lewis among this year’s Best Actor Oscar nominees and he is easily the best thing about legal drama Roman J Israel Esq.
Roman J Israel Esq is the tale of the LA civil rights movement
Israel is an idealistic criminal defence lawyer in Los Angeles and a veteran of the civil rights movement.
He sports an afro and ill-fitting suits, looking like a relic from the 1970s in modern-day LA.
Eccentric, socially awkward and probably some kind of savant, he seems ill-prepared for the real world.
His integrity comes under fire when he is employed by slick hotshot lawyer George Pierce (Colin Farrell).
Denzel stands out the most in Roman J Israel Esq
This is a fascinating study of a vulnerable figure.
The film works best when it is establishing Israel’s character but it starts to flounder with a murder case that grows increasingly implausible.
The film is still worth seeing for Washington’s committed performance though.