Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Roman J. Israel, Esq. Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 12, 2018

It wouldn’t be entirely unfair to the rest of Roman J. Israel, Esq. to rename the movie Denzel Washington. Here’s a fairly good movie elevated considerably by its star, a star delivering a performance typical of his body of work, a transformative bit of acting that absolutely dominates the film’s otherwise noble yet nevertheless somewhat dry story. Writer/Director Dan Gilroy, whose dual credits also include the well-received Nightcrawler, builds a solid character study within Roman but the film’s unquestionably dominant lead role devours most of the peripherals, overshadowing the film’s narrative flow and purpose to the point that titling the movie by a single name seems spot-on, named for the towering character but that could just as easily be renamed for the towering performance that makes it.

The film's title character is an eccentric attorney with a heart and soul to make a difference in the world and in the lives of those around him whose knowledge of the law far exceeds any of his peers. He can recite statues and code off the top of his head. He's a walking encyclopedia of all things legal, but his idiosyncrasies and largely incompatible-with-the-world-around-him social skills mean he's been relegated to working for low pay at an out-of-the-way L.A. firm. But when his boss has a heart attack with no real chance of recovery, the firm has no choice but to close down. Hotshot attorney George Pierce (Colin Farrell) has been brought in to oversee the firm's dismantling, but he sees Roman's potential and hires him on at his firm. Roman's ways don't make his transition easy, not for himself and certainly not for the other partners and employees. But even through his various missteps, his unparalleled intelligence and ability to connect with clients by offering them a more personalized service begins to reshape the firm's direction. When the otherwise near-destitute Roman comes into money, he becomes a changed man that puts him at odds with the very changes Pierce's firm has made to accommodate his skill set and personal code.

Washington is, again, nothing short of fantastic as the title character. His ability to sink into any character, whether an oddball encyclopedic lawyer or a gun toting hero, has been proven time and again, and any doubts as to his place as one of the top two or three living actors have long been put to rest, but Roman J. Israel, Esq. at least serves as another reminder of his legendary abilities and the legacy he'll leave behind when he someday retires from the craft. His portrayal of the highly eccentric, unusually intelligent, socially awkward, blunt, and motivated man defines the movie above any and all narrative components or support performances, including a standout bit of work from co-star Collin Farrell, himself a vey talented actor, who seems to relish the challenge to rise to Washington’s level. But Washington’s performance stands a cut above; he not only inhabits the character, he understands him, believes in his life story, performs him in such a way that Washington seems intimately familiar with every critical life lesson and turning point that have shaped Roman into the man he is as the audience meets him, and the man he evolves into throughout the course of the film.

Unfortunately, the story takes too long to find cohesion. Gilroy focuses so intently on Washington’s uncanny, immersive, and endlessly captivating performance that the movie often feels more like a director so mesmerized by the performance that he often forgets to make the story more purposeful and accessible. Character motivations are often a little more in a gray area than they might should be, and even with Roman’s screen-dominating character and characteristics the film sometimes struggles to find the man beyond the performance, to give significant meaning to the world around him, both as he influences the world and as the world influences him. The picture eventually finds its stride about midway through, however, as Roman’s world suddenly changes and the clash between his soul and his newfound position and priorities takes over the film. It never reaches the level of “compelling” beyond Washington’s work, but Roman certainly offers an enticing core narrative, even if it’s hard-pressed to dominate from beginning to end.

Roman J. Israel, Esq. Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Roman J. Israel, Esq.'s 1080p transfer is as screen-commanding as Denzel Washington's performance. This is Blu-ray at its peak, presenting a gorgeously textured, perfectly filmic, and organically colored presentation that's the next-best-thing to UHD (and it's a shame Sony didn't see the feasibility in putting this one out on UHD...it most assuredly would have been a looker). Textural qualities are superb. Complex facial definition presents with ease. Pinpoint suit and necktie fabric details present with tangible intimacy and tactile surface definition. Environments are crisp, whether high-dollar law offices, a murky alleyway, a top-end restaurant, or a prison. Every detail is rendered to exacting specifications that push the format to its limits. Colors are well defined, appropriately vibrant and natural without any significant filtering, boost in contrast, or desaturation evident. Neckties and other bits of clothing are the standouts, but complex urban colors are also well defined. Skin tones appear accurate and black levels are richly deep with excellent shadow detail on display. No source of encode flaws are readily apparent. This is another jewel in Sony's ever-increasing catalogue of high definition excellence.

Roman J. Israel, Esq. Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Roman J. Israel, Esq. features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. It's a large, intensive track. During the first outdoor scene, listeners are greeted with spacious, deep music; plenty of agreeably detailed and vibrant street level din; and a helicopter buzzing overhead with commanding stage presence. Moments later, chatter, footfalls, and dinging elevator signals give sonic shape to a bustling hallway into which the listener is seamlessly transplanted. The track is filled with lively location details such as these, each one breathing added life into the accompanying scene but always, here, balanced and prioritized, allowing dialogue to dominate as necessary. Everything is well pronounced and effectively positioned; for a movie of this nature, the track's authenticity, large spacing, and seamless presentation do wonders for the movie watching experience that more dramatically oriented movie soundtracks could stand to duplicate. Even with the now somewhat antiquated 5.1 configuration, the track leaves nothing behind, no stage space left uncovered. Dialogue is clear and consistently positioned in its natural front-center home, while music delivery is wide and well defined.

Roman J. Israel, Esq. Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Roman J. Israel, Esq. contains a few extras. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase.

• Denzel Washington: Becoming Roman (1080p, 5:56): A discussion of the film's title character, writing the part for Denzel Washington, character qualities as presented in the script and shaped by Denzel himself, directing Denzel, and more.
• The Making of Roman J. Israel, Esq. (1080p, 10:25): A closer look at the film's core story themes, the lead character's values, shooting the prison and courtroom scenes, the film's core cast, the title character's look, Robert Elswit's work on the film, and more.
• Colin Farrell: Discovering George (1080p, 4:46): A closer look at Farrell's character and performance.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 11:47 total runtime): Community Garden, Roman Visits William in the Hospital, Roman Gets a Phone Call, Restroom Scene, Roman in the ER, Roman at the Hotel, Roman Packs Up His Apartment, and Pro Bono.
• Previews (1080p): Additional Sony titles.

Roman J. Israel, Esq. Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Though it sometimes struggles with structural cohesion and purpose identification, Roman J. Israel, Esq. is a treat to watch as Washington inhabits the character with grandiose movements, a unique cadence, and lyrical eloquence even in some of the more confused exchanges he has with others. It's a fascinating character study of a man head-and-shoulders above everyone else, at least in terms of sheer brain power, but unable to really fit in due to his personality and his personal code, both of which come under challenge as the film develops. It could be a bit narratively tighter in the first half, and everything is swallowed up whole by Washington's award-worthy performance, but the film is, overall, well worth watching primarily for the acting and secondarily for the meaty story that works better on reflection than it does in the Denzel-dominant moment. Sony's Blu-ray is fantastic, delivering exceptional, reference-quality video and audio. Supplements are not comprehensive but support the movie well enough. Highly recommended.