Very interesting. Wish ending was a little different but overall good movie.

Out of all of this year's Oscar nominations, one particular nomination stood out amongst the rest as one of the more surprising and questionable picks of the whole event; Denzel Washington in the Best Actor category for his turn in Dan Gilroy's Roman J. Israel, Esq.In one of the ceremonies most loaded categories, the ever beloved Washington snuck it out of nowhere (likely claiming James Franco's spot after the actor was swept up in pre-awards controversy) to be a part of the competitors in the field and while his turn in Gilroy's film is the best thing about Roman, its still a bit of a curiosity that this middle of the road event found itself in amongst the cream of the crop in Hollywood's night of nights.Roman J. Israel the character gives Washington a chance to go all nervy, OCD and a bit chaotic as the afro sporting, old-suit wearing defence attorney finds his life routine upturned after his business partner suffers a heart attack, forcing him to seek work at Colin Farrell's more corporate law firm, leading to a series of events that turn his quiet life upside down.Israel is an interesting character, one that's hard to warm to in the typical way as his such a genuinely odd and peculiar creation, but intriguing nonetheless and Washington is as good as you'd expect an actor of his calibre to be in the role and its clear he had a lot of fun bringing Gilroy's creation to life with the long-time A-lister gaining weight, letting his hair grow out and genuinely taking things to the more extreme as Roman's life spirals on in a whirlwind of bad decisions and curious friendships.The biggest problem with Gilroy's film is that the narrative containing this curious creature isn't as engaging or smart as it likely thinks it is and while there's some interesting questions raised about the current state of the law system in America and way in which Roman feels he can help improve it, a lot of the films wannabe big moments and gun-punches never really land killer blows and it's not hard to see why this dialogue-driven drama failed to ignite with critics or audiences upon its release late last year.Considering Gilroy's last film was the brilliant and dazzling Nightcrawler, it's a shame that his newest venture behind the camera isn't able to get to the same noteworthy level.Final Say -There's some fine moments in Roman J. Israel, Esq. and a typically solid (if not exactly awards worthy) turn from Washington but this crime drama with a unique premise never quite clicks the way in which we would've liked making it a watchable if hardly a must-watch event.3 U-Haul vans out of 5

So this one got an Oscar nomination, right? So it has to be good in some way! No it isn't. It's boring and it's no excuse that it's Denzel Washington and his acting is good in it. Guess what...he's a good actor, so no surprise here. But he is still not capable of making this movie in any way interesting or compelling. His character never becomes sympathetic or relatable. The story never sucks us in. When Colin Farrell comes in you expect some tension but even then the film stays petty. It's a big question mark above my head how director Dan Gilroy managed to make one of my favorite films (Nightcrawler) and then this debacle.

I was admittedly skeptical about this film when I sat down to watch it. Being, like many, a pretty big fan of much of Denzel Washington's work I wanted to like it, but I just had a bad feeling. I pulled up the movie on IMDb before starting it and was very pleased to be reminded that this was Dan Gilroy's latest project. I am a really big fan of many of the films he has written and Nightcrawler (his most recent film and directorial debut) is one of the most critically under appreciated masterpieces I've seen in years.So with my spirits, and expectations, lifted I pushed play. The opening scene grabbed my attention right away and I was excited to see where things would go. Unfortunately the film lost steam pretty quickly and struggled to find solid ground for the first 40 minutes or so. I was disheartened as I thought I would be writing my second review in a row of a disappointing film by one of my most respected creators.Thankfully things turned around and began to engage both the heart and mind as the titular characters journey, so excellently conveyed by both writer and actor, became more twisted and honest. Real emotion was achieved as I felt both excited, afraid and ultimately relieved for Roman as he wrestled through his inner battles.From a technical perspective, I thoroughly enjoyed many of the visual style Mr. Gilroy employed as well as his use of music and score. Both lent themselves well to depicting an almost timeless version of both Roman and the city of Los Angeles.As for the writing, I was particularly grateful for his decision not to overly emphasize some of the more commonly highlighted civil issues at play in this story, but rather spend time focusing on the deeper issues at play in all of us. The ones that I believe truly lie at the root of so many of the issues we all face as human beings.All in all I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys stories about justice and all of the tensions created by our pursuit of it. It is well told and Denzel's performance is certainly in keeping with the high regard that I (and many others) hold him in.