Writer-director Dan Gilroy's contrived, convoluted drama stars Denzel Washington in the title role as an idealistic legal-savant whose nerdy, antisocial personality places him in the Asperger range on the autism spectrum. When his beloved longtime partner has a heart attack, Israel realizes that he can't alone run their downtown Los Angeles criminal law practice, which is devoted to social justice, defending the poor and downtrodden on a pro bono basis. After being turned down for a salaried position at a civil rights project headed by Maya Alston (Carmen Ejogo), Israel takes a job at a mega-firm run by slick, high-powered George Pierce (Colin Farrell). But then he is faced with a crisis of conscience, as his new position clashes with a personal project. Israel, who memorized the entire California legal code, has devoted years to assembling a class-action lawsuit to challenge the pervasive system of plea bargaining, dubbing it a rigged game in which prosecutors threaten defendants with hefty prison sentences, hoping to get them to plead guilty—even if innocent—thereby short-circuiting the legal process. Israel is a relic from the social activism of the ‘60s and '70, fighting the usual corruption, but while Washington tries to make him an interesting character, he is stymied by the flailing narrative. Optional. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include deleted scenes (12 min.), a “making-of” featurette (11 min.), the behind-the-scenes featurettes “Denzel Washington: Becoming Roman” (6 min.) and “Colin Farrell: Discovering George” (5 min.), and a bonus digital copy of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a disappointing legal drama.] (S. Granger)
Roman J. Israel, Esq.
Sony, 122 min., PG-13, DVD: $30.99, Blu-ray: $34.99, Feb. 13 Volume 33, Issue 2
Roman J. Israel, Esq.
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