58
Metascore
41 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 93IGNWilliam BibbianiIGNWilliam BibbianiFiercely intelligent and deeply suspenseful, Roman J. Israel, Esq. is an absorbing morality tale from writer/director Dan Gilroy, and boasts one of Denzel Washington’s finest performances.
- 83The Film StageChristopher SchobertThe Film StageChristopher SchobertRoman J. Israel, Esq. might not be the courtroom drama fans have been expecting. Instead, it’s a character study filled with insight and originality.
- 80The GuardianBenjamin LeeThe GuardianBenjamin LeeEven in the film’s less successful moments, I admired the loose shagginess of it all.
- 70New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinNew York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinThis is a formula movie but Gilroy is no hack. He hits the expected beats but with more color and depth than you expect.
- 67The PlaylistGregory EllwoodThe PlaylistGregory EllwoodGilroy has fashioned a character study that has moments that are incredibly well written.... What’s extremely disappointing is that the screenplay’s through line is simply not that interesting.
- 63The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerThe Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerThe plot finds loopholes as it rambles ahead semi-plausibly to its conclusion. Audiences will no doubt applaud this entertaining film, but the case is under appeal.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterLeslie FelperinThe Hollywood ReporterLeslie FelperinUnfortunately, something at the center just doesn’t hold, and it flies apart over the course of 133 minutes into confusing shards of plot, legalese-heavy monologues and, perhaps most surprising of all given Gilroy’s bona fides, a touch of soggy sentimentality in the home stretch.
- 60Screen DailyTim GriersonScreen DailyTim GriersonDenzel Washington gives a terrifically off-kilter performance in Roman J. Israel, Esq., a fascinating and flawed character study that frustratingly can’t meld all its ambitions into a coherent and satisfying whole.
- 60VarietyOwen GleibermanVarietyOwen GleibermanIt leaves us with a character you won’t soon forget, but you wish that the movie were as haunting as he is.