Roman J. Israel, Esq. - The truth and nothing but the truth

Movie
German title	Roman J. Israel, Esq. - The truth and nothing but the truth
Original title	Roman J. Israel, Esq.
Country of production	United States
original language	English
Publishing year	2017
length	123 minutes
Age rating	FSK 6
Rod
Director	Dan Gilroy
script	Dan Gilroy
production	Todd Black , ; Jennifer Fox , ; Brian Oliver
music	James Newton Howard
camera	Robert Elswit
cut	John Gilroy
occupation
	Denzel Washington : Roman J. Israel; Colin Farrell : George Pierce; Carmen Ejogo : Maya Alston; Nazneen Contractor : Melina Nassour; Andrew T. Lee : James Lee; Brittany Ishibashi : Beth; DeRon Horton : Derrell Ellerbee; Amari Cheatom : Carter Johnson; Amanda Warren : Lynn Jackson; Tony Plana : Jessie Salinas; Shelley Hennig : Olivia Reed; James Paxton : Henry; Joseph David-Jones : Marcus Jones; Niles Fitch : Langston Bailey; Elisa Perry : Florence Ellerbee;

Roman J. Israel, Esq. - The truth and nothing but the truth (Original title: Roman J. Israel, Esq. ) Is an American crime film by Dan Gilroy , which is based on the film The Verdict - The truth and nothing but the truth (1982) by Sidney Lumet leans on. The film celebrated its world premiere in September 2017 as part of the Toronto International Film Festival and was released in selected US cinemas on November 17, 2017.

action

After the autistic novel J. Israel worked for 26 years in a small law firm specializing in criminal law in Los Angeles and idealistically produced briefs for law firm owner William Jackson, he fell into a coma after a heart attack and the law firm was abandoned by his heir. Israel then starts as a salaried attorney at a large, commercially oriented law firm, whose activities, however, contradict its ideals. After several negative experiences at work and in everyday life, he allows himself to be carried away into an illegal act which, after a brief period of supposed happiness, turns his life into a downward spiral.

production

Directed by Dan Gilroy , who also wrote the screenplay for the film. In 2016, it landed on the blacklist of Hollywood's best unfilmed ideas . It is after Nightcrawler - Every Night has its price from 2014 for the second film directed by Gilroy. The film is based on the book The Verdict - The Truth and Nothing But the Truth by Sidney Lumet . The film music was composed by James Newton Howard .

Denzel Washington took on the leading role in the novel J. Israel . Colin Farrell and Ashton Sanders can also be seen in other roles .

The film was shot in Los Angeles and therefore at its location. Further recordings were made in Santa Clarita . Robert Elswit acted as cameraman . The film budget was around $ 35 million.

The film celebrated its world premiere on September 10, 2017 as part of the Toronto International Film Festival , was released in selected US cinemas on November 17, 2017, before being shown nationwide from November 22, 2017 and on February 2, 2018 Cinemas in the UK. A theatrical release in Germany took place on April 19, 2018.

The German dubbing was based on a dialogue book and dialogue direction by Hubertus von Lerchenfeld on behalf of Scalamedia GmbH, Berlin. In the German version, Leon Boden lends his voice to the title-giving lawyer Roman J. Israel.

reception

Reviews

Martin Schwickert says in the Dresdner Neuesten Nachrichten , as in his remarkable directorial debut Nightcrawler - Every Night Has Its Price (2014), Dan Gilroy also put it in Roman J. Israel, Esq. a character study at the center of the story, in which the social conditions are reflected out of the corner of the eye: "While Jake Gyllenhaal made a career as a narcissistic cameraman without ethical standards in the media industry in Nightcrawler , this novel J. Israel is a moral relic from a long-forgotten era that threatens to despair due to the social and legal ruthlessness of the present. ” Denzel Washington is playing the political convict in the crisis with nervous tics, evasive looks and drooping cheeks on the verge of autism, Schwickert continues, and Gilroy leaves no room for political Nostalgia, but show how Roman throws himself off his pedestal by making an individualistic, selfish decision with fatal consequences. With his self-deconstruction, the idealist tries to adapt to the completely unidealistic environment and tragically fails, according to Schwickert. He also notes, however, that this interesting anti-catharsis is unfortunately on very shaky, dramaturgical legs, and Gilroy does not succeed in advancing his project in a coherent plot because he repeatedly gets lost in subplots and symbolic narrative gestures. Once again, it is Washington who holds the film together with a coherent, complex performance, said Schwickert.