Roman J. Israel, Esq.

Roman J. Israel, Esq. centers on a defense attorney in Los Angeles whose life is upended when the mentor he has long served suffers a fatal heart attack. Roman has spent years doing the legal groundwork while others stood in the spotlight, and he now finds himself drawn into a large firm run by George Pierce, an ambitious lawyer who once studied under that same mentor. There he meets Maya Alston, an activist for equal rights, and as he confronts the realities of a crowded court system and the compromises of his new employers, the convictions that have defined his career come under pressure.

Denzel Washington plays Roman, with Colin Farrell as Pierce and Carmen Ejogo as Maya; Lynda Gravatt, Amanda Warren and Hugo Armstrong also appear. Dan Gilroy wrote and directed the film, following his 2014 debut Nightcrawler and preceding Velvet Buzzsaw, and he wrote the screenplay as well. Washington served as a producer alongside Jennifer Fox and Todd Black.

The film was released in November 2017 and runs 122 minutes. Against a budget of about 22 million dollars, it took in roughly 13 million worldwide, a modest return. On IMDb it holds 6.5/10 from around 48,000 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 6.3/10 from about 1,400 votes. A critics' rating of 5.8/10 from 175 reviews places it somewhat below the audience scores.