Roman J. Israel, Esq.

Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017) is a legal drama you can watch online on iFILM, written and directed by Dan Gilroy. Denzel Washington earned an Academy Award nomination for the title role — an idealistic, socially awkward Los Angeles defense attorney who has memorized every corner of criminal procedure and hasn't updated his wardrobe since 1978.

Roman has spent decades as the backroom engine of a small civil-rights law firm. His partner handled clients and courtrooms; Roman wrote the briefs. When the partner collapses, Roman is suddenly exposed to a legal world he finds morally compromised at every turn. He lands at a slick firm run by George Pierce, played by Colin Farrell, and discovers information that puts his entire value system under pressure. What he does next is the film's real subject.

Gilroy builds an ethical thriller out of the question of whether good intentions survive contact with real money and real consequences. Washington's performance is the kind that depends on dozens of precise, unglamorous choices. Watch Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017) online on iFILM.