• Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017)

    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...

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Roman J. Israel, Esq.
58
metacriticBased on 41 Critics
64
Based on 76 Users

Release Date: November 17th, 2017

PG-13 |1 hr 57 min

Plot Summary

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.

Cast: Denzel Washington, Colin Farrell, Carmen Ejogo, Lynda Gravatt, Amanda Warren, Hugo Armstrong, Sam Gilroy, Tony Plana

Director: Dan Gilroy

Genres: Thriller , Crime drama

Production Co: Escape Artists, LStar Capital, Cross Creek Pictures

Distributors: Sony Pictures Entertainment

Keywords: Fall, New York City, Mystery, Gripping, Tense, Underdog, Rise, Deception

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Ratings & Reviews

  • 50
    David SimsThe Atlantic

    One element is consistent throughout Roman J. Israel, Esq.—the enigmatic lead, played with typical dedication and forcefulness by Denzel Washington. But even though he’s fully committed to the role, this movie is anything but, aimlessly weaving between story ideas like a distracted driver. show more

  • 60
    Tim GriersonScreen International

    Denzel Washington gives a terrifically off-kilter performance in Roman J. Israel, Esq., a fascinating and flawed character study that frustratingly can’t meld all its ambitions into a coherent and satisfying whole. show more

  • 60
    Leslie FelperinThe Hollywood Reporter

    Unfortunately, something at the center just doesn’t hold, and it flies apart over the course of 133 minutes into confusing shards of plot, legalese-heavy monologues and, perhaps most surprising of all given Gilroy’s bona fides, a touch of soggy sentimentality in the home stretch. show more

See all critic reviews on metacritic.com

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Awards

Nominated Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Screen Actors Guild Awards (2018)
Nominated Actor in a Leading Role
Oscars Academy Awards (2017)
Nominated Best Performance By an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
Golden Globes (2018)