Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017)

Director: Dan Gilroy
Stars: Denzel Washington, Colin Farrell, Carmen Ejogo
Runtime: 122 minutes

Performances: 9/10
Screenplay: 5/10
Special Effects: N.A.
Costumes/Makeup: 8/10
Editing: 6/10
Cinematography: 8/10
Score/Soundtrack: 7/10

Verdict: "Roman J. Israel Esq." stars Denzel Washington as the title character, a lawyer whose life changes drastically when his mentor and partner suffers from a heart attack, which forces him to join a big law firm where a series of tempestuous events ensues. I absolutely loved the first half of this movie, which reminded me a lot of "Nightcrawler", Dan Gilroy's previous project and one of the best films to come out in 2014 in my opinion. Denzel Washington delivered one of the best performances of the year, Colin Farrell as George Pierce, Roman's boss, was also very good, and the very well shot and edited story was full of intrigue and kept me on the edge of my seat. The second half, however, felt like a completely different movie. It became this sort of dull mess that didn't work at all for me. The performances and cinematography were still great, but the narrative was just all over the place. It included also a romance subplot that felt completely unnecessary and forced into the movie. In the end, there's a good movie hidden somewhere in "Roman J. Israel, Esq.", but the final product was ultimately disappointing, especially when you're familiar with the talent involved in it.

Final Grade: 6/10