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Roman J. Israel Esq.

Denzel Washington plays the protagonist in the eponymous movie Roman Israel.  A hard nosed black lawyer, he prefers to work in the shadows for his partner who manages the front end against the legal apparatus that works like a money printing machine.

A savant of sorts Israel's character wears period clothing and exhibits OCD while consuming dinners of peanut butter sandwiches, in part due to their affordability is an activist attorney based in Los Angeles.  His partners' sudden death puts him at risk of being jobless after decades of being comfortably righteous and fighting for the underdog.

Colin Farrell's character of a successful criminal lawyer finds Israel at his wits end to make ends meet and offers a job at his highbrow firm working their low end cases.

The film is a portrayal of someone trying to do what is right in a system that is all about enriching the lives of those that can afford to play the court room game without much justice being served.

In the climactic end Israel veers of his own course by violating the very laws that protect citizens and succumbs to the pressures of surviving in a ruthless world.

Fast moving with witty dialog written and directed by Dan Gilroy is a movie worth watching.


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