I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.

Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

I was very disappointed by this movie which, despite having a good cast (with perhaps the exception of Colin Farrell, who was not a great fit for the role), has a completely abysmal story. It starts off fine, with a maladjusted paralegal forced to take on the role of full court lawyer and being incapable of stomaching the injustice that is inherent in the system, to the point where he even gets a fine of almost one year's wages (which, as far as we know, he doesn't even challenge, he's just blase about it, making it more than weird). But then, without spoiling anything, the movie goes off on a tangent, trying to be all Walter Mitty on us, and it really makes no sense. The characters start behaving out of character, the story devolves into a barely believable tale of hubris and punishment, and perhaps its greatest mistake is that it takes itself far too seriously. The ending is extremely predictable and sappy, and completely pointless. Perhaps the problem is pacing, and the fact that the movie is trying to do so much in such little time, with basically three full subplots which simply don't need to exist. And it's all so cliche, the girl who is incredibly hot but is attracted to him, the younger man who respects him all of a sudden for no real reason, and the crime story where we see how absolutely unintelligent the main character is. It's all too much. This is a movie about a lawyer who has spent his past 30 years fighting the system, fighting for the little guy, and a guy who is almost a genius at it, but we see none of that beyond what's already in the trailer, the story we're presented with is simply something else. Shame, Denzel's acting is pretty much on point.If you value your time, read the plot synopsis first, at the risk of being spoiled and decide afterwards if you still want to watch it. Just know that by the end you'll be tempted to switch it off out of boredom.

One star for Carmen Ejogo and one for Colin Farrel for so perfectly losing their foreign (British Isles) accents and one star for Denzel's nasty boy performances in Man On Fire and Training Day... If I had known beforehand this was written and directed by the same person I would not have wasted my time. Chefs cook the food, waiters serve the food. If I want the two jobs done by the same person, I'll have supper at my Mom's. Why would Farrel feel the need to warn Israel about the supposed "reach" of a some pathetic loser in prison for life for robbing a convenience store of $500 and who, exactly, was supposed to pay his legal fees of $2500 a day...the parents of this criminal mastermind that robs 7-11s or his friends from juvenile detention? Want an anti-hero, scumbag lawyer in a gritty legal drama...watch The Night Of with John Turturo on HBO.

I was admittedly skeptical about this film when I sat down to watch it. Being, like many, a pretty big fan of much of Denzel Washington's work I wanted to like it, but I just had a bad feeling. I pulled up the movie on IMDb before starting it and was very pleased to be reminded that this was Dan Gilroy's latest project. I am a really big fan of many of the films he has written and Nightcrawler (his most recent film and directorial debut) is one of the most critically under appreciated masterpieces I've seen in years.So with my spirits, and expectations, lifted I pushed play. The opening scene grabbed my attention right away and I was excited to see where things would go. Unfortunately the film lost steam pretty quickly and struggled to find solid ground for the first 40 minutes or so. I was disheartened as I thought I would be writing my second review in a row of a disappointing film by one of my most respected creators.Thankfully things turned around and began to engage both the heart and mind as the titular characters journey, so excellently conveyed by both writer and actor, became more twisted and honest. Real emotion was achieved as I felt both excited, afraid and ultimately relieved for Roman as he wrestled through his inner battles.From a technical perspective, I thoroughly enjoyed many of the visual style Mr. Gilroy employed as well as his use of music and score. Both lent themselves well to depicting an almost timeless version of both Roman and the city of Los Angeles.As for the writing, I was particularly grateful for his decision not to overly emphasize some of the more commonly highlighted civil issues at play in this story, but rather spend time focusing on the deeper issues at play in all of us. The ones that I believe truly lie at the root of so many of the issues we all face as human beings.All in all I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys stories about justice and all of the tensions created by our pursuit of it. It is well told and Denzel's performance is certainly in keeping with the high regard that I (and many others) hold him in.

Utterly watchable, brilliant in every way. This movie seems to have either the highest review scores or the lowest, with little in between.A quality drama with an amazing and unusual story, the type of film rarely seen coming from the dross of Hollywood these days, if you have any insight and enjoy true movie value, this is one for you.I will need to watch this again. Some of the one liners have such wisdoms without in any way attempting to be 'wise', 'clever' or 'meaningful', but simply reflect the quality of the movie.