Popular reviews

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  Review by Allison M. 🌱 ★★★★ 5

  When I walked out of the movie theater, there was this guy who was trying to figure out whether he liked it or not. I wanted so badly to say, "If you think you liked it, then you did."

  The way this movie handled difficult issues and shades of gray reminded me of the James Vanderbilt film, Truth (2015). Nobody in Hollywood likes to tackle difficult subjects head-on. It's easier to follow a formula than to create multi-dimensional characters that seemingly contradict themselves. Are they good? Are they bad? Uh oh; they made one mistake. Can I still like this person if they did something "wrong" on purpose?

  Ultimately, the film is satisfying, because it is unafraid. It doesn't have…

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  Review by matt lynch ★★★½ 2

  Despite both this and NIGHTCRAWLER employing some pretty well-worn ideas to say not much that's particularly fresh, Gilroy's certainly making some idiosyncratic stylistic and narrative moves here. This is like his own version of his brother's MICHAEL CLAYTON but without the self-satisfied portent, and it's as full of tics as Denzel's performance (which is great, maybe the best thing he's done since Demme's MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE). I like that this reverses the boilerplate "crisis of conscience" throughline, having a guy realize that his pristine ideals really aren't worth compromising, even though the beats sort of remain the same, which leaves room for a lot of welcome digression (like the vacation, or the way this noticeably takes place in a very recognizable sphere of runaway capital, institutional failure, and gentrification).

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  Review by Nakul ★★★ 1

  Roman J. Israel, Esq was a strange movie. The execution & plotting could have been better and the story could have gone in multiple better directions but i was totally engrossed in the film the whole way through thanks to Denzel Washington's performance, this is a perfect example of slightly-above-average movie elevated by goddamned brilliant performance.

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  Review by iana ★★ 4

  this is what happens when you do jake gyllenhaal dirty

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  Review by Griffin Newman 3

  I think that with time and distance this will be seen as a cornerstone Denzel performance.

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  Review by Rafael "Parker!!" Jovine ★★★ 8

  Starring: King Kong Ain’t Got Sh!t On Denzel

  First of all, am I the only one who thought this movie was set in the 70s when I saw the trailers? No? Just me?

  Anyway, the last film in our marathon is also the most disappointing of the bunch, both in terms of the filmmaker and our very own Denzel Washington. Considering Gilroy's track record in this field, it's disheartening to see him fall short. The premise is intriguing and has plenty of potential, and there are tense moments.

  Washington, for his part, is doing something; but, I am unable to deduce what it is that he is doing, as this is the point at which the problems arise. The actor,…

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  Review by Josh Lewis ★★★

  like so much of what this wants to be about, but holy shit is it so utterly baffling in execution.

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  Review by Logan Kenny ★★★★★ 4

  no idea how to even begin talking about this right now but one thing i'm absolutely certain of is that denzel washington is one of the best actors to ever appear on screen, and that he fully deserves every award and all the acclaim possible for this turn, which is both idiosyncratic and deeply universal, it's rare to see an autistic character played with this much depth and respect, he transcends caricatures and offensive stereotypes and plays into something real, into real things that i recognise living as an autistic man, and in a time of personal crisis, it's good to know that my hero respects people like me enough to make roman a three dimensional man, to make him matter.

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  Review by Jacob ★★★★½ 5

  A 2.9 average rating? A 2.9? You FOOLS!

  Anyway, I kind of loved this. Denzel Washington is the best he's ever been (or at least, the best I've seen him be), and I was drawn in by every second of his performance. Our titular character is a bizarre one, well-intended but undisputedly flawed. The methods and culture of activism have changed, and even the older generation of progressives find themselves no longer at the head of their movement. The characters on either side of him are walking contradictions, one being for the cause and one being the fight against it. When we realize our internal desires and external actions don't align as we thought they did, our identities become fragmented.…

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  Review by 𝚮𝖆𝖗𝖑𝖊𝖖𝖚𝖎𝖓𝖆𝖉𝖊 🎃🕯️👻 ★★½ 20

  Being a lawyer and watching Hollywood's depiction of anything to do with my profession is so frustrating. No, real lawyers don't look like Colin Farrell, George Clooney, Keanu Reeves or Chris Evans (if they did I'd run to work every day with a moronic smile on my face). No, the courthouses don't have bathrooms as nice as the ones depicted in The Judge (imagine how horrific they are in real life - the only thing I remember from this movie was thinking 'what?!' when they showed the bathrooms). And no, unlike Elle Woods we don't have the energy to read legal acts WHILE working out. The only accurate thing in Hollywood movies is how lawyers are treated with contempt. People…

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  Review by David Sims ★★★½ 1

  a deeply surreal film

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  Review by Mike ★★ 1

  It baffles me how this came from the same guy who wrote and directed Nightcrawler. 

  Roman J Israel, Esq. could’ve been a great modern legal drama. With the talent involved this could’ve been a classic that we will remember into the future. This film had everything going for it.....and they completely missed the mark. 

  The biggest problem with the film is that it has no clue what it wants to be. Does it want to be a legal drama? Yes. Does it want to be a social commentary? Yes. Does it want to be an odd comedy? Yes. It wants to do all these things, and the final film just feels all the more convoluted. 

  I thought that the first…