Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017)

Roman J. Israel, Esq., a driven, idealistic defense attorney, finds himself in a tumultuous series of events that lead to a crisis and the necessity for extreme action.

Director:

Dan Gilroy

Writer:

Dan Gilroy

Stars:

Denzel Washington, Colin Farrell, Carmen Ejogo

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Denzel Washington	...	Roman J. Israel, Esq.
Colin Farrell	...	George Pierce
Carmen Ejogo	...	Maya Alston
Lynda Gravatt	...	Vernita Wells (as Lynda Gravátt)
Amanda Warren	...	Lynn Jackson
Hugo Armstrong	...	Fritz Molinar
Sam Gilroy	...	Connor Novick
Tony Plana	...	Jessie Salinas
DeRon Horton	...	Derrell Ellerbee
Amari Cheatom	...	Carter Johnson
Vince Cefalu	...	Security Bailiff
Tarina Pouncy	...	Hallway Bailiff
Nazneen Contractor	...	Melina Nassour (Ass't. DA)
Niles Fitch	...	Langston Bailey
Jocelyn Ayanna	...	Court Officer Bailiff

Storyline

ROMAN J. ISRAEL, ESQ. is a dramatic thriller set in the underbelly of the overburdened Los Angeles criminal court system. Denzel Washington stars as Roman Israel, a driven, idealistic defense attorney who, through a tumultuous series of events, finds himself in a crisis that leads to extreme action. Colin Farrell costars as the monied, cutthroat lawyer who recruits Roman to his firm.

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Plot Keywords:

lawyer | court | murder | los angeles california | courtroom | 

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Taglines:

All rise.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language and some violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

Both Colin Farrell and Carmen Ejogo starred in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016).

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Goofs

At about 0:49:48, as Roman and Maya are assisting the possible dead homeless person, Maya receives a call on her cell. When she "answers" the call the screen goes to sleep. During the call, the screen illuminates because of movement and reflects on her face. Neither would happen if she was actually answering then using the telephone feature on today's smart phones.

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Quotes

Roman J. Israel, Esq.: Well, I'm sorry for taking a nanosecond off of your assembly-line, rubber stamp existence

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Alternate Versions

After premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, the film was re-cut by director Dan Gilroy and star Denzel Washington. The new version is 12 minutes shorter than the festival premiere. In addition to dropping some scenes, the film now features different music on the soundtrack (replacing a number of songs) and moves a scene depicting Roman and Israel going to a Lakers game at the Staples Center to an earlier point in the story.

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Connections

References Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)

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Soundtracks

Peace, Piece
Written by Bill Evans
Performed by The Bill Evans Trio
Courtesy of Riverside Records
By arrangement with Concord Music Group, Inc.

User Reviews

The Ghost Of Sidney Lumet Lives!

For a split second there, you are watching "Q&A" or any of the other political dramas Sidney Lumet was famous for. Despite what reviewers have said here, this is mature movie that exists in a different time. And it is tragic that it is lost in the dummies of 2017 society.

The story is of a lawyer whose past convictions of social injustices get called to task when his partner suffers a heart attack. Roman is thrust into reality of facing the people who he left a long time ago to be the shadow autistic man content to vomit all sorts of facts without a shred of...personality tolerable to anyone. Everyone who has worked in an office knows this guy. He's aggravating because he only understands a brand of logic that lacks...spirit. He laughs at the wrong moments. And when put in social situations...he will anger you. However, he possesses massive commitment to a social cause. There's a line in the movie where an admirer defends Roman as "we stand on his shoulders." In other words, despite his annoyance...he has contributed to the cause. What cause is the question. The answer? It doesn't matter. The cause is ambiguous other than Black crime and rights. Which isn't the point it's trying to make. I would guess, it means to be anything we have convictions of and lose sight of will ultimately destroy us. Is that a digestible concept. Not to this world. In all honesty, when Roman starts to slip, we are actually much more comfortable. Because we all sell out when times get rough. This is a wonderful film that will be discovered years later. Much like a Sidney Lumet film (can you even name one). I will say, people will watch it and feel shame they didn't seek it out later. Denzel Washington should get nominated here.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Sony Pictures

Country:

Canada United Arab Emirates USA

Language:

English Spanish Armenian

Release Date:

22 November 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

Inner City

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$22,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$61,999, 19 November 2017

Gross USA:

$11,962,778

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$13,025,860

Company Credits

Production Co:

BRON Studios, Columbia Pictures, Cross Creek Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min 129 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS (DTS: X) SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1