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Roman J. Israel, Esq.

PG-13 Released Nov 22, 2017 1h 57m Crime Drama Mystery & Thriller TRAILER for List
55% Tomatometer 174 Reviews 57% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Roman J. Israel is an idealistic defense attorney whose life gets upended when his boss and mentor -- the legendary civil rights icon William Henry Jackson -- dies unexpectedly. He's then recruited to join a law firm led by George Pierce, an ambitious lawyer who was one of Jackson's former students. Israel's legacy of activism soon gets put to the test when he takes on the case of Langston Bailey, a young man accused of murdering a convenience store clerk.
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Roman J. Israel, Esq.

Roman J. Israel, Esq.

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Critics Consensus

Intriguing yet heavy-handed, Roman J. Israel, Esq. makes the most of -- but never quite lives up to -- Denzel Washington's magnetic performance in the title role.

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Critics Reviews

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Mark Kermode Kermode & Mayo's Film Review It's a brilliant performance in a film that's an honorable misstep. Aug 28, 2018 Full Review Donald Clarke Irish Times There's an interesting drama in there, but it has not been given time to fight its way out of the semi-digested mulch all around. Rated: 2/5 Feb 5, 2018 Full Review Simran Hans Observer (UK) We don't learn very much about Israel's relationships or motivations from the screenplay, but it's fascinating to watch Washington's display of repressed turmoil. Rated: 4/5 Feb 4, 2018 Full Review Keith Garlington Keith & the Movies Gilroy and Washington deftly open up this character’s quirks and complexities, and even when the narrative begins to wander Roman is still the focus. Rated: 4/5 Aug 25, 2022 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review However noble the film's intentions, the material receives a muddied and unclear treatment from its director and star. Rated: 2/4 Mar 17, 2022 Full Review Kip Mooney College Movie Review Tries to be a morality play, a character study, an indictment of the unjust legal system and occasionally a thriller, a romance and a drama about mental illness. Rated: C+ Aug 24, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Viola O I was so concentrated on the character of Denzel that only afterwards I realized how slow the film was but denzel the top Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/15/24 Full Review StuffbyDre The movie devolves instead of evolving. Would have been a better movie watching it backwards and having a different ending. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/01/24 Full Review Dallas H I guess I go against the grain by being annoyed and frustrated with Dan Gilroy's Nightcrawler (2014) but genuinely enjoying this movie, which has many viewers muddled and unimpressed. As usual, Denzel Washington turns in a solid performance. I liked this movie and will want to watch it again. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/19/24 Full Review Alec B A compounding catastrophe of missed opportunities and baffling narrative choices. Washington's not bad, but the filmmakers have no idea what to do with his character. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/05/24 Full Review Nick R Total lack of genuine social commentary, making all the profound proclamations about vague notions of justice come across as totally hollow. For the same reason, it was hard to sympathize with the protagonists motivations. Everything seemed disjointed, random, weird and uncompelling because of this crucial whole at the core of a film about someone fighting for social justice - what was he actually fighting for beyond vague ideas of "social revolution" and plea bargain reform. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 12/03/23 Full Review Gareth v A movie that relies on the performance of it's lead. And Denzel delivers. A good flick. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/22/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

Roman J. Israel, Esq.

Roman J. Israel, Esq.: Official Clip - Standing Up For Who Can't Roman J. Israel, Esq.: Official Clip - Standing Up For Who Can't 2:28 Roman J. Israel, Esq.: Official Clip - A Really Bad Day at the Office Roman J. Israel, Esq.: Official Clip - A Really Bad Day at the Office 1:41 Roman J. Israel, Esq.: Official Clip - Sistahs Stand Up Roman J. Israel, Esq.: Official Clip - Sistahs Stand Up 3:27 Roman J. Israel, Esq.: Official Clip - Lack of Success is Self-Imposed Roman J. Israel, Esq.: Official Clip - Lack of Success is Self-Imposed 3:05 Roman J. Israel, Esq.: Official Clip - I'm Going Away Roman J. Israel, Esq.: Official Clip - I'm Going Away 2:09 Roman J. Israel, Esq.: Official Clip - Live in What You Did Wrong Roman J. Israel, Esq.: Official Clip - Live in What You Did Wrong 3:14 Roman J. Israel, Esq.: Official Clip - The Time Has Come Roman J. Israel, Esq.: Official Clip - The Time Has Come 3:29 Roman J. Israel, Esq.: Official Clip - Hanging By a Thread Roman J. Israel, Esq.: Official Clip - Hanging By a Thread 3:13 Roman J. Israel, Esq.: Official Clip - Underwear Model, Esq. Roman J. Israel, Esq.: Official Clip - Underwear Model, Esq. 2:46 Roman J. Israel, Esq.: Official Clip - White People's Court Roman J. Israel, Esq.: Official Clip - White People's Court 2:25 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis Roman J. Israel is an idealistic defense attorney whose life gets upended when his boss and mentor -- the legendary civil rights icon William Henry Jackson -- dies unexpectedly. He's then recruited to join a law firm led by George Pierce, an ambitious lawyer who was one of Jackson's former students. Israel's legacy of activism soon gets put to the test when he takes on the case of Langston Bailey, a young man accused of murdering a convenience store clerk.
Director
Dan Gilroy
Producer
Jennifer Fox, Todd Black, Denzel Washington
Screenwriter
Dan Gilroy
Distributor
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Production Co
Cross Creek Pictures, LStar Capital, Escape Artists
Rating
PG-13 (Language and Some Violence)
Genre
Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 22, 2017, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 26, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA)
$11.7M
Runtime
1h 57m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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