Back in 2014, Dan Gilroy made his first full-length film, NIGHTCRAWLER. For a freshman effort, it's truly amazing as it was one of the best films of the year and was a deeply disturbing but rewarding film to watch. Because of this, I was excited to see a preview showing of "Roman J. Israel Esquire" as the Philadelphia Film Festival. Plus, many were excited because Gilroy managed to get the services of Denzell Washington to star in this film. Sadly, the film was a bit of a disappointment.
The film begins with Israel learning that his law partner has had a massive heart attack. This is a problem because they are the only two in the practice and Israel only works behind the scenes and the partner is the man who tries the cases in court. Apparently, Robert Israel is something like a person with Asperger's...as he has minimal people skills and looks like he's still living in 1975. At first, he seems nerdy and weird but good-hearted. Eventually, you come to realize he's a jerk-face...and that is where the film lost me. Having the lead be a total jerk down deep makes for hard viewing. A mildly interesting film at best and a huge disappointment.
The film begins with Israel learning that his law partner has had a massive heart attack. This is a problem because they are the only two in the practice and Israel only works behind the scenes and the partner is the man who tries the cases in court. Apparently, Robert Israel is something like a person with Asperger's...as he has minimal people skills and looks like he's still living in 1975. At first, he seems nerdy and weird but good-hearted. Eventually, you come to realize he's a jerk-face...and that is where the film lost me. Having the lead be a total jerk down deep makes for hard viewing. A mildly interesting film at best and a huge disappointment.