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Overanalyzing Anime
Blog Owner & Lead Writer
Roman J. Israel Esq. tells the story of an eccentric lawyer from Los Angeles who has spent the entirety of his life in the shadows, abiding by the rules. After a life altering event, he decides that it is time to try doing things differently, & as a result of his actions, his life is thrown into complete turmoil.
Without delving into any specific spoilers, I’ll say that it’s obvious that this film has a pretty clear message it’s trying to convey to the audience - which is, “be true to who you are.” This film teaches us that our actions have consequences & that we should learn to accept who we are & where we are in our life instead of taking drastic shortcuts to get ahead or be happy. Everything needs to go at it’s natural pace, & accelerating the process can end up being more detrimental than beneficial.
I want to say that both Denzel Washington & Colin Ferrel are excellent in their roles. I’ve come to understand that, regardless of his role, Denzel Doesn’t Disappoint. His performance as the awkward Roman J. Israel Esq. (don’t forget the esquire) is incredibly entertaining. That’s not to say that Colin wasn’t great in his own right, too. He was able to do a lot with what wasn’t a great deal of screen time; managing to make every one of his scenes matter.
The one issue I have with this film is, while it does an excellent job mentioning societal discourse, it does so in such a way that makes it very forgettable. It flirts with topics such as Systemic Inequality & Institutional Racism but doesn’t ever really commit. I suppose that’s done to keep the focus on the actual story, but mentioning it without ever really getting the chance to see Roman delve deep into this work is somewhat disheartening. However, I understand that the inclusion of that would have definitely meant adding more to an already two hour film.
Overall, while I would have liked to see more of Roman practicing law (his way), I was still very satisfied with this film. The lesson it tries to teach is sound, & the film itself is one that I very much enjoyed watching.
My rating: 8.5/10
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