Honestly, most people completely missed the point of Roman J. Israel, Esq. when it hit theaters back in 2017. You probably remember the trailer. It looked like a standard legal thriller where Denzel Washington plays a quirky, brilliant lawyer taking down the system. But then you watched it, and it was... weird. It was slow. It was uncomfortable.
Roman wasn't a superhero in a cheap suit. He was a man out of time.
If you’ve revisited it recently or just caught it on a streaming deep-dive, you’ve likely realized that Dan Gilroy—the guy who gave us the haunting Nightcrawler—wasn't trying to make The Pelican Brief. He was making a character study about the actual cost of being an activist for forty years. It’s a movie about what happens when your "purity" meets a world that only cares about the bottom line.
The Physical Transformation No One Talks About
Denzel Washington didn't just put on a wig for this. He went deep. To play Roman, he actually gained over 30 pounds.
He wanted Roman to look "heavy," not just in weight, but in spirit. He’s a guy who has spent four decades hunched over a desk in a cramped, two-man office, living on peanut butter and jazz records. Denzel even had his teeth gap widened slightly to add to that sense of a man who hasn't looked in a mirror or cared about his "brand" since 1977.
The wardrobe is a character itself. Those oversized suits? They aren't just "vintage." They are literally the same clothes he’s been wearing since the Carter administration. It’s a visual representation of a mind that stopped evolving social skills because it was too busy memorizing the entire California penal code.
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The Asperger’s Subtext
The movie never explicitly says it, but Dan Gilroy and Denzel have both basically confirmed that Roman is on the autism spectrum. Specifically, he’s portrayed with traits often associated with Asperger’s.
- He can’t handle being touched (he tenses up during hugs).
- He has a rigid, almost ritualistic diet.
- He lacks a "social filter," which gets him held in contempt of court within the first twenty minutes.
This is why the movie feels so jarring to some viewers. We are used to Denzel being the smoothest guy in the room. Here, he’s clumsy. He’s abrasive. He’s the guy who brings a 1,000-page "master brief" to a gunfight and wonders why no one wants to read it.
What Really Happened With the Plot?
If the movie felt a bit disjointed to you, there’s a factual reason for that. After the premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the reception was... lukewarm. Critics complained about the pacing.
So, what did Sony and Gilroy do? They went back into the editing room.
They cut about 12 minutes of footage. They moved a major scene involving Colin Farrell’s character (George Pierce) from the end of the movie to much earlier. They were trying to make it more of a "thriller" to satisfy the audience's expectations of a Denzel movie. Whether it worked is up for debate—the film still only made about $13 million against a $22 million budget—but it explains why the narrative flow feels a little "pushed" in the second act.
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The Legal Reality: Could Roman Actually Exist?
A lot of legal dramas play fast and loose with the law. Roman J. Israel, Esq. actually gets a lot right, specifically the "grind" of the Los Angeles Superior Court.
The scene where Roman gets fined $5,000 for contempt is a perfect example. In real life, judges have a massive amount of leeway. If a lawyer keeps arguing a point of civil rights during a preliminary hearing after being told to save it for trial, they will get slapped with a fine. Roman’s mistake wasn't being wrong about the law; it was being "too right" at the wrong time.
The Ethical Trap
The core of the movie is Roman’s "fall from grace." He spends his whole life being the moral compass for his firm, Jackson & Associates. But the moment he experiences real poverty—the moment his partner dies and he realizes he has no savings and no future—he snaps.
He uses confidential information from a client to collect a reward.
It’s a $100,000 betrayal. To most people, that’s life-changing money. To a guy like George Pierce (Colin Farrell), that’s a Tuesday. But for Roman, it’s the end of his soul. The movie argues that once you sell your "inner peace," you can’t buy it back with a fancy suit and a stay at a luxury hotel.
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Why It Still Matters in 2026
We live in a world of "performative activism." Everyone has a slogan in their bio. Roman is the opposite. He’s the guy who actually did the work for 40 years when no one was watching.
The tragedy of the film is that the world didn't have a place for him until he became "corrupt." George Pierce only starts to respect Roman once Roman starts acting like a shark. It’s a cynical view of the legal profession, but anyone who has worked in big-firm litigation will tell you it’s not entirely inaccurate.
Actionable Insights for Viewers
If you’re going to watch (or re-watch) this, don't go in expecting The Equalizer.
- Watch the background: Look at Roman’s apartment. It’s filled with thousands of LPs and files. It’s a fortress of the past.
- Focus on the silence: The best moments aren't the monologues; they’re the moments where Roman is trying to navigate a "normal" conversation and failing.
- Pay attention to Colin Farrell: His character arc is actually the inverse of Roman’s. As Roman becomes more "corporate," George becomes more "idealistic."
The film is a reminder that being a "good person" isn't a static state. It’s a daily struggle. Roman J. Israel, Esq. didn't fail because he wasn't smart enough; he failed because he was too tired to keep being a saint in a world that rewards sinners.
If you want to understand the modern American legal system—the actual, messy, bureaucratic nightmare of it—this movie is a much better teacher than most of the polished dramas you'll see on TV. Just don't expect a happy ending. That's not how the law works.
To truly appreciate the nuance Denzel brought to the role, compare this performance directly with his work in Fences. Both characters are "stuck" in their own way, but while Troy Maxson uses his voice as a weapon, Roman uses his as a shield. Understanding that distinction is the key to unlocking why this remains one of the most underrated performances of the decade.