Chicago International Film Festival Review
Roman J. Israel Esq. Review
One of the actors that really got me into loving
movies was Denzel Washington. He truly is one of my favorite actors of all
time, if not THE favorite. I have loved him in everything he’s made, even if
the movie in question was trash. Let’s be honest, nobody in Hollywood has a
perfect resume, that’s just part of working in the making of art. But every
time Denzel works to bring a character to life, there is a raw determination
that you can see and even feel in all his movies. I believe in the people he
creates, and I am willing to take an entire journey with them. Now, can Denzel
save an entire movie just by his performance alone? Sorry, I can’t truly admit
that. One performance is never enough for me to love or even like a movie.
Which makes something like “Roman J. Israel Esq.” a
frustrating experience.
Dan Gilroy, who was in Chicago to introduce his film,
wrote and directed the brilliant “Nightcrawler” in 2014 with Jake Gyllenhaal.
He co-wrote such scripts as “Real Steel” and “Kong: Skull Island.” Just from
those few credits alone, it’s clear that Gilroy has lots of muscle as an
artist. Not everybody can do both the blockbusters and the smaller fair, the
mini’s and the majors. But Gilroy seems to have very diverse tastes and a
clever eye, so I admit, I was totally excited to see Gilroy’s second film as
director and writer. Being such a huge fan of “Nightcrawler” got me extremely
giddy.
Now, “Roman J. Israel Esq.” isn’t a horrible film, far
from the worst of the year or even a bad movie in general. I feel’s just
drastically miscalculated. It’s features a confusing, uneven script. Roman J.
Israel, who purposefully puts the term esquire at the end of his name, wants so
badly to be an important lawyer, and he wants to be noticed for his work. He’s
been fighting the good fight while other’s have been taking all the credit.
When his partner, the firms front man, has a heart attack, Israel suddenly
takes on that role. The firm is small, and bleeding funds, so all its cases and
clients are moved to a bigger firm run by George Pierce (Colin Ferrell). After
much debate, Israel decides to join Pierce’s firm. He finds out some unsettling
things about what the crusading firm has done that run afoul Israel’s his
values and helping the poor and oppressed. He eventually finds himself in an
existential crisis.
The problem is, Gilroy’s script seems to go every
which way. At some points, it seems like the movie may be about Israel creating
a law that will drastically change how firms handle cases. The next moment, it
feels like a movie about a lawyer struggling with the process of being a lawyer
and the morality of being a lawyer. The next moment, it seems like a comedy
about how an introverted man becomes a lawyer. The next moment, it seems like
it’s a movie about how a man rises in a firm and how that makes him forget who
he really is. The script is a near-perfect example of a writer having several
good ideas for a movie, but can’t focus on just one of those ideas. So, they
throw all of them into the script. The result ends up feeling like somebody put
a bunch of ingredients that don’t go together into a blender, hoping the concoction
created will be a delicious treat.
None of this could stop Denzel Washington from
delivering a phenomenal performance. Which he does. I know it’s not often that
an actor goes to the same major acting category for the Oscars two years in a
row, but Washington could easily be on the ballot this January. It’s that high
of quality, it’s that great, it’s that profound. Israel seems almost autistic,
or maybe having Asperger’s. He says random things, says what’s on his mind, it doesn’t
seem to realize that what he says may offend someone. He wears his hair and his
clothes like 1970’s attire, at first, I didn’t think the movie took place in
the present day based on Washington’s appearance, but it doesn’t. There is an
old school vibe to Israel’s style. It’s a complete original character, very
memorable all by itself. Denzel receives plenty of support by Ferrell, Carmen
Ejogo, Nazneen Contractor, Joseph David-Jones, Andrew T. Lee and Shelley
Hennig, all of whom provide strong talent to their roles. Denzel scores some
big laughs with his acting work, and it’s just another addition into his
showcase as a performer. But it’s not enough to make this film great. It’s too
confusing, it’s too convoluted, and it’s not a movie that needed to be over two
hours.
I am not trying to take anything away from Dan Gilroy
as a filmmaker, it’s clear he’s got the goods when it comes to filmmaking. He’s
got a good eye for setting up scenes, and writing dialogue. That was true even
in his first film. He’s clearly still growing as a writer slash director, and I
am sure his masterpiece is right around the corner, it’s just not this. It’s
full of great performances, and great ideas. But it’s far from a masterpiece.
"Roman J. Israel Esq." will be released wide in the United States on November 10th.
FINAL GRADE: C+
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