Roman J. Israel, Esq.

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2:24

Roman J. Israel, Esq.

PG-13

2017

1h 57m

Crime

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

55%

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175 Reviews

57%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Roman J. Israel is an idealistic defense attorney whose life gets upended when his boss and mentor -- the legendary civil rights icon William Henry Jackson -- dies unexpectedly. He's then recruited to join a law firm led by George Pierce, an ambitious lawyer who was one of Jackson's former students. Israel's legacy of activism soon gets put to the test when he takes on the case of Langston Bailey, a young man accused of murdering a convenience store clerk.

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Critics Consensus

Intriguing yet heavy-handed, Roman J. Israel, Esq. makes the most of -- but never quite lives up to -- Denzel Washington's magnetic performance in the title role.

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Mark Kermode

Kermode & Mayo's Film Review

Aug 28, 2018

It's a brilliant performance in a film that's an honorable misstep.

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Donald Clarke

Irish Times

Feb 5, 2018

2/5

There's an interesting drama in there, but it has not been given time to fight its way out of the semi-digested mulch all around.

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Simran Hans

Observer (UK)

Feb 4, 2018

4/5

We don't learn very much about Israel's relationships or motivations from the screenplay, but it's fascinating to watch Washington's display of repressed turmoil.

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Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

Jul 28, 2025

3/5

Cloaked inside a frumpy legal savant, "Roman J. Israel, Esq." is another exemplary piece of evidence to Denzel Washington's range, focus, and presence.

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Nick Rogers

Midwest Film Journal

Dec 28, 2024

4/5

What a delight to see an acting institution unto himself — crafting a chatty character of almost unspoken complexity who is tearful, fallible, mortal, deeply despondent and absolutely unlike anything Denzel Washington has ever done.

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Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

Aug 25, 2022

4/5

Gilroy and Washington deftly open up this character’s quirks and complexities, and even when the narrative begins to wander Roman is still the focus.

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Robert P

@Superbad 3 hrs ago

This movie is a *3* star Movie!

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Drew B

@xxgomlvlxx Aug 23, 2026

This was a good heart warming movie of putting up the good fight where even the most cautious make mistakes.

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bebri A

@RT96701464 Aug 20, 2026

Quite a trip! Roman's a character that covers so many maps, but is designed somewhat for a cardiologist reader who loves them for themselves, rather than any particular trip that cannot and will not be taken. There are moments in the film wherein we think we understand him, but that's a folly. Denzel clearly dug deeply to formulate the layers, follies, brilliance and quirks of this character who never quite gets to know intimacy, but is capable of soaring moments of great joy. It's understandable whys many see the film more for its inherent technical flaws, but, that makes it all the more human for me. Five starts (yet again) for Denzel, and close to that for its writer/director. Colin is so solid a grounding thread throughout A few of the other cast performances were harmoniously nuanced as well.

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Gregorio A.

@bigfootagosto21 May 6, 2026

Good Denzel performance, not much else?

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Michael R

@Mritz617 Apr 17, 2026

Denzel really showing his range in this lesser known role. I thought he was brilliant per usual. And in a way you dont think to see him. As for the movie, its good. And worth the watch. Critics on here are so harsh man. Not every movie is gonna be picture of the year, ya know?

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letaiser T

@RT88401244 Sep 2, 2025

The Acting Performance especially by Denzel Washington is very good but to be honest this concept doesn't necessarily needed to be filmed into a Movie. The whole Film almost was over when the first huge plot and the first exciting scene happened, it might be my fault because I didn't know what to expect about this Movie since I haven't watched any trailers for it but at the end of the day this is just very boring. The last 30 Minutes were pretty impressive and probably the best part about this Movie but overall this just is a mid Film and beside the acting It really doesn't has much great elements in it.

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Dan Gilroy

Director

Denzel Washington

Roman J. Israel, Esq.

Colin Farrell

George Pierce

Carmen Ejogo

Maya Alston

Lynda Gravatt

Vernita Wells

Amanda Warren

Lynn Jackson

Roman J. Israel, Esq.: Official Clip - Standing Up For Who Can't

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Synopsis

Roman J. Israel is an idealistic defense attorney whose life gets upended when his boss and mentor -- the legendary civil rights icon William Henry Jackson -- dies unexpectedly. He's then recruited to join a law firm led by George Pierce, an ambitious lawyer who was one of Jackson's former students. Israel's legacy of activism soon gets put to the test when he takes on the case of Langston Bailey, a young man accused of murdering a convenience store clerk.

Director: Dan Gilroy
Producer: Jennifer Fox, Todd Black, Denzel Washington
Screenwriter: Dan Gilroy
Distributor: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Production Co: Escape Artists, LStar Capital, Cross Creek Pictures
Rating: PG-13 (Language and Some Violence)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 22, 2017, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 26, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $11.7M
Runtime: 1h 57m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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