Roman J. Israel Esq. - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Roman J. Israel Esq.

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie
I’m always amazed when an actor can pull a poor or mediocre movie up by its bootstraps and rise above the dry writing and directing. This is the case with Roman J. Israel Esq., as Denzel Washington completely absorbs himself into the titular role of Roman J. Israel (Esquire) to the point of near unrecognition. The movie itself is a rather dry affair, which acts as more of a character study than a dramatic thriller like the trailer promised, but you can’t help but be fascinated by Denzel as he just BECOMES the quirky lawyer with a sense of morals and ethics, as well as a near autistic mentality in his day to day operations. However, as incredible as the performance is, and even though the movie does rise above its origins as a result, the film is rather bloated and turgid, wandering about with a meandering gait that ultimately just peters out with an ending that seems oddly out of place, even though you knew it was coming.

Denzel Washington is Roman J. Israel Esq., a brilliant lawyer who can recite statutes, propositions, and memorandum off the top of his head, but can’t handle the spotlight of the court room. As such, he was relegated to being the man behind the curtain at his two man law firm, letting his partner handle the court room drama, while he was the one to come to for legal advice and plans. When his partner, William, passes away from a stroke Roman is sort of left out in the cold. His partner’s estate is shutting down the law firm, and the eccentric lawyer has no real fall back plan. He tries to get a job as an activist attorney at several differing small firms, but ultimately is forced to take a position with the same man who is handling the affairs of his partner’s and his close down. One George Pierce (who happens to own a massive 4 office firm himself, played by Colin Farrell).

Frustrated and humbled by having to work for a man he considers a sellout, Roman tries his best, but ultimately ends up doing something stupid and a client losing his life in jail. At the end of his rope, Roman loses sight of his moral compass and uses privileged information to turn in a criminal in an ongoing investigation for a cash reward. A reward that he uses to try and turn his life around. Buying himself fancy suits, a new apartment, and some nick knacks, Roman soon learns that just because he’s tired of being underappreciated, does not mean that you leave who you are behind.

Roman J. Israel Esq., is a film at conflict with itself. The first 2/3rds of the movie is a simplistic character study of Roman himself, but after he takes the money from his anonymous tip, it tries to delve into a dramatic thriller and the transition feels awkward and unwieldy. The first 2 acts of the film wander about, spending so much time getting to know Roman Israel, that by the time it tries to come together and offer up a cohesive story with a dramatic ending, it’s almost too late. The films stuck in the character study mode and transitioning over to a standard fare dramatic movie just doesn’t work.

The best part of the movie really IS Denzel Washington, though. He sinks so far into the titular character that he had me applauding just from the first 30 minutes alone. Washington is so convincing as the brilliant, awkward, socially bumbling, savant that you just could be mesmerized listening to him speak. Washington has played everyone from hard action heroes, to brilliant scientists, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen him play someone as unique as the title character. It’s a performance that FAR outclasses the rather tepid story told and directed by Dan Gilroy, and its a sad thing to see his brilliant performance wasted on a movie that just can’t seem to find its footing. Watching him fight between his desires for success and change, as well as the last remnants of his honor and soul is intoxicating, despite the futility of the script to bring cohesion to an utterly fascinating character study.




Rating:

Rated PG-13 for language and some violence




Video:

The 1.85:1 framed AVC transfer from Sony is nothing short of spectacular in all arenas. I wasn’t expecting something this fantastic, but the mixture of 35mm and digital cinematography is something to truly marvel at. There is an ever so slight yellow and green tinge to many of the indoor shots, but overall the picture is rather neutral, featuring sharp highlights and strong color replication throughout the 2 hour+ film. Watch the lines and creases on Roman’s rumpled suit, or the pores on Washington’s aging face, as everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) is revealed to the naked eye. Bright white’s and shiny, glossy, building fronts reveal every texture and tone of the L.A. city landscape, and even the darkest of scenes shows off incredible detail in the shadows. It’s a magnificently shot, and lovingly rendered disc that is the epitome of perfection, and one of the best looking films I have seen in recent reviews.





Audio:

For being a low key drama, the 5.1 DTS-HD MA track for Roman J. Israel Esq. Is very wide and spacious, with a larger than life sound. The film opens up with some incredibly detailed music, and fills out the surrounds with all sorts of chatter. The hubbub of the big city life encompasses the listener at times, while it also can be subtle and nuanced, with the whispers and murmurs of a large law firm chattering in the background. Bass is hefty and full of weight, adding some power to the rumble of cars and pedestrians, while also filling out the low end with the more intense moments during the score. Dialog is crisp and clean, with no sounds of distortion or imperfections, and an even balance with the more lively aspects of the surround usage. I have to say, I was REALLY impressed with how wide and dynamic the 5.1 mix is, as I was not expecting this sort of lively excitement from a character drama like we have before us. Even with “only” a 5.1 track, it ranks up there with some of the more excellent tracks with more channels available to it. Easily the biggest surprise of the whole film.






Extras:

• Eight Deleted Scenes
• "Denzel Washington: Becoming Roman"
• "The Making of Roman J. Israel, ESQ."
• "Colin Farrell: Discovering George"

Final Score: ​

While Roman J. Israel is a bit hampered in the cohesion department, it is a fascinating character study that incorporates one of the best performances from Denzel Washington that I have ever seen. The man infuses his character with a sort of innocent naivety, yet brilliant depth that completely mesmerizes the audience with the quirky and eccentric nature of the main character. There is a tone and feeling that is all its own and Denzel loses himself so thoroughly into the role that this can almost be call Denzel Washington: The Movie. Sony’s Blu-ray disc is nothing short of stunning in the technical department, with a perfect video score and an audio mix that is head and shoulders better than 99% of the dramas out there. It’s a little light on extras, and the movie itself is a bit blundering, but it is worth a rental just to see Denzel perform.






Technical Specifications:

Starring: Denzel Washington, Colin Farrell, Carmen Ejogo
Directed by: Dan Gilroy
Written by: Dan Gilroy
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, French (Canadian) DTS-HD MA 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, English, French, Korean, Spanish, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional), Thai
Studio: Sony
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 122 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: February 13th, 2018

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Good Rental

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I do like Denzel Washington so will catch this on Amazon Prime or netflix once available.

 

[Asere]

Thanks for the review. I had never heard of this movie until I saw it here. A rental for me as well.