Y’all remember that picture of Denzel that came out a while ago and people were like “what in the…”. No, not the Uncle Denzel meme (though that was and still is legendary). The one where his veneers are out, his hair is out, and his belly is also, well… out further than usual. Yea, the one that everybody was trying to figure out how he changed his look so quickly. That new look Denzel was just Denzel being Denzel getting into his role as Los Angeles lawyer Roman J. Israel, Esq. (please say the Esquire). Roman J. Israel Esq. follows said lawyer after an unfortunate circumstance leaves him laid off from his civil rights law firm in which he spent the last 26 years. When he is recruited to work at a successful corporate firm owned by a student of his former partner, his morals, beliefs and fortitude are put to the test by the spoils of his new environment.
in this movie, Denzel definitely does what he always does in all his films. He fully immerses himself in the role and embodies Roman J. Israel, Esq. (seriously, you must say the Esquire). From the throwback to the wardrobe of the revolutionaries in the trenches (those who do the grunt work behind the MLKs and Malcom X’s), to the awkwardness that slightly hints at a long life lived on the spectrum (it is never actually confirmed in the movie if he is autistic). Denzel is this character. You can tell from the first scene the years and years that Roman J. Israel, Esq. has put into fighting for civil rights and fighting his own social awareness. It’s not just the obvious awkward conversations or the outright passion for justice, but the subtle ticks of Roman J. Israel, Esq. that make Denzel’s performance so human.
Unfortunately, Denzel can only do so much with what he is given. He usually makes everything he is in enjoyable (I mean I liked the Equalizer for heaven’s sake), but his performance couldn’t save the pitfalls of this movie. Mostly, it tried to be grander than it actually was. Roman J. Israel, Esq. speaks in radical quotes and impeccable "legalese" to push an agenda for change, but oftentimes comes across as self-important (even for someone who may be on the spectrum). Everything from the dialogue to the plot and the watershed moments were too little time to flourish. the movie didn’t have time enough to breathe. Colin Ferrell and Carmen Ejogo’s characters befriend Roman J. Israel, Esq. almost in an instant. The conversations that did have potentially moving ideas were too quickly countered. The main through line of the movie tried to emphasize how life’s struggles can push almost anyone to change character; however, Roman J. Israel, Esquire’s actions seemed to change moral compass on a dime. His arc changed so quickly that the when the end of the movie came, I didn’t really care what happened. There wasn’t any connection. it was too quick, yet somehow 20 minutes too long. It was about as quick as this review’s ending. Yep I’m done. Roman J. Israel, Esq. gets 5.5/10 Denzel “My Mans”.
Wait no gifs????
