Skip to main content

Dome Pondering Movie Review: Roman J. Israel Esq. (2017)


What is it about? 

An unusual but driven and idealistic lawyer finds himself in a series of events that forces him to his extremes, and ultimately, to make a decision on what he stands for. 

Who is in it? 

Denzel Washington - Roman J. Israel Esq. 

Colin Farrell - George Pierce 

Carmen Ejogo - Maya Alston

Favorite Scene: 

[Spoiler Alert!]

After getting the $100,000 reward, Roman lives it up for a day "on the other side" away from his convictions and thinking of need for social justice. 

Favorite Quote: 

"Each of us is better than the worst thing we ever did."

Review: 

There is something odd and tremendous about this film, and even as I write this review, I still can't put my finger on it. I don't believe it's for everyone, and truthfully, it's a unique niche for some. 

The beauty in Roman J. Israel Esquire is that uniqe view on the world that we each have. Many of us have the view that we just don't understand why the masses operate the way it does without issue. If you have that, Roman's character is highly identifiable and relatable. 

Despite that odd connection, Denzel is simply Denzel in this film - boss. His depiction of Roman is downright awesome, especially in bringing to light the quirks and oddities that make him who he is. 

All in all, this film isn't for everyone, but if it is, you'll enjoy it very much. 

Grade: 3.75/5
Labels:

Recently Read

Sunday Sundown Rundown - 2/11/19

3 Up 1. Eva Ramon Gallegos Cure HPV - Could Cervical Cancer be a thing of the past? It very much looks like it as after twenty years of work, Gallegos has found a cure that completely eliminates the cancer. This is remarkable work, and it's pretty awesome to see the Mexican Medical community come together proudly in this achievement. 2. "This is America" Grammy - Finally!! Childish Gambino got some national love for the work he did on this great song, and even more so, on the overall art/video that was "This is America". Of course, he wasn't there to pick it up as the Grammys and their long standing issue with the hip-hop community continues... 3. Women at SOTU - Women continue to be bad ass in the current age. Their solidarity within the Capitol for the President's SOTU was a great sight to see. 3 Down 1. Venezuela Crisis - The country of Venezuela is in absolute shambles right now as they tussle over leadership, and really, a move toward d...
Read more

Sunday Sundown Rundown - 2/9/25

3 Up 1. Eagles Defensive Live - I'm no football aficionado or even a huge fan - but what the Eagles front four on defense did was dominating.  1a. Philadelphia Eagles - Congratulations to Eagles fans and the city of Philadelphia on the Super Bowl win.  2. Kendrick Lamar - I'm sure it'll be controversial - we all knew it would be going in. Throwing my two cents into the arena of public opinion, I thoroughly enjoyed Kendrick's performance. I'm a fan, so that's easy. Tough night to be Drake though. Yikes!  3. Human-Like Teeth in Pigs - Science can be cool. But stories like this are absolutely amazing.  3 Down 1. Plan for Education? - Look, I'm all for cutting wasteful spending from the government. However, I also want to know the plan to replace or support the areas that are being cut. Eliminating the Department of Education? Ok, cool. What's the plan after that? 2. USAID - We live in a VERY blessed country. My heart is with the countries and people who re...
Read more

Thoughts on TNA on AMC Debut: "Yup, TNA is back. It is so back."

TNA is back.  And I know that because it is heavily under scrutiny by the internet. But that criticism comes with being back on a major platform like the AMC Network, and of course, taking the next step after a super successful 2025.  So, what did I think?  The show was...ummmm okay, at best. Some of the challenges the company faced heading into this weekend were well documented among the rumor mill, which didn't bode well for the company. In balancing reported visa issues with talent, pivoting after losing core talent to free agency, and attempting to build and manage talent workload with a premium live event on Saturday, TNA found themselves in the usual TNA stuff. The most peculiar - and strangest - of situations to be in going into a big network premiere. This company, man! All in all, again, the show was okay. It had its flaws. It had some cool moments. It didn't live up to the hype (or the expectations we each had for such a premiere). But it's one show. TNA has put...
Read more