10s Movie Review - The Judge

Director: David Dobkin
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 141 minutes
Year: 2014
Starring: Robert Downey Jr. Robert Duvall, Vincent D’Onofrio, Jeremy Strong, Vera Farmiga, Billy Bob Thornton, Leighton Meester, Dax Shepard, David Krumholtz, Sarah Lancaster

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2025 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 33: A FILM WITH ROBERT DOWNEY JR.
 
Description: Big-city lawyer Hank Palmer (Robert Downey Jr.) returns to his childhood home where his father (Robert Duvall), the town’s judge, is suspected of murder. Hank sets out to discover the truth; along the way he reconnects with his estranged family.

Review: Hank Palmer is the last person to care what others think of him. The unstoppable lawyer tells it like it is. Hank is the kind of person who dares to speak the truth, even if others would rather not hear it. He admits that the white-collar criminals he defends are most likely guilty, and that doesn’t bother him: “Innocent people can’t afford me”.

When he returns to his hometown, after his mother passed, he is confronted with everything he fled back then. The untouchable lawyer from Chicago does care about other people’s opinions. In fact, he appears to be deeply hurt. The difficult and destructive relationship with his father is the reason for his departure, years ago. And now his father, the local judge, is suspected of murder. Hanks tries to uncover the truth, and father and son both grow closer and come into direct conflict with each other.

“The Judge” boasts an impressive cast: Robert Downey Jr., Robert Duvall, Billy Bob Thornton and Vincent D’Onofrio. The first tow in particular are given plenty of room to shine. Downey Jr. is irritating, moving, unyielding and vulnerable all at once. His comedic talent and timing are beyond question. With Hank Palmer, he manages to portray a decisive but also wounded prodigal son.

Director David Dobkin takes the time to introduce the characters and clarify the relationship with the family. the underlying tension between the father and sons is constantly palpable from the moment Hanks returns.

It is also clever how Dobkin unfolds the story. “The Judge” is above all a relational drama, but it is also a courtroom drama. On top of the flawed father-son relationship, there is the murder allegation, which interact with each other, but beyond that there are even more subplots. And all but one of these subplots I really cared about. I didn’t care about the love interest part of the story. They could have left that out.

The film has well-developed characters, excellent performances, a clever structure, and good suspense. I would recommend “The Judge”.

Rating: 4 / 5

Netflix Friday - Volume 56

Some Netflix film tips for the weekend! And there is something for everyone, since I picked a movie for all the different genres.
 

Action: Midway (2019)
The story of the Battle of Midway, told by the leaders and the sailors who fought it.
 

Drama: The Judge (2014)
Big-city lawyer Hank Palmer (Robert Downey Jr.) returns to his childhood home where his father (Robert DuVall), the town’s judge, is suspected of murder. Hank sets out to discover the truth and, along the way, reconnects with his estranged family.
 

Comedy: Girl’s Trip (2017)
When four lifelong friends travel to New Orleans for the annual Essence Festival, sisterhoods are rekindled, wild sides are rediscovered and there’s enough dancing, drinking, brawling and romancing to make the Big Easy blush.
 

Animation: Over the Moon (2020)
A girl builds a rocket ship and blasts off, hoping to meet a mythical moon goddess.
 

Romance: The Age of Adeline (2015)
A young woman (Blake Lively), born at the turn of the 20^th century, is rendered ageless after an accident. After many solitary years, she meets a man (Michiel Huisman) who complicates the eternal life she has settled into.
 

Horror: Army of the Dead (2021)
Following a zombie outbreak in las Vegas, a group of mercenaries take the ultimate gamble, venturing into the quarantine zone to pull off the greatest heist ever attempted.
 

Science Fiction: Dredd (2012)
In a violent, futuristic city where the police have the authority to act as judge, jury and executioner, a cop (Karl Urban) teams with a trainee to take down a gang that deals the reality-altering drug, SLO-MO.
 

Crime: American made (2017)
The story of Barry Seal (Tom Cruise), an American pilot who became a drug-runner for CIA in the 1980s in a clandestine operation that would be exposed as the Iran-Contra Affair.
 

Thriller: Prisoners (2013)
When Keller Dover’s (Hugh Jackman) daughter and her friend go missing, he takes matters into his own hands as the police pursue multiple leads and the pressure mounts.
 

Documentary: Nail Bomber: Manhunt (2021)
This documentary tells the story of the 1999 London bombings that targeted minority communities, and the race to find the far-right extremist behind them.
 

Family: Paddington 2 (2017)
Paddington (ben Wishaw), now happily settled with the Brown family and a popular member of the local community, picks up  a series of off jobs to buy the perfect present for his Aunt Lucy’s 100^th birthday, only for the gift to be stolen.

Movie Trailer Sunday (144)

Here are this weeks trailers.

The Expendables 3

Description: Barney (Sylvester Stallone), Christmas (Jason Statham) and the rest of the team come face-to-face with Conrad Stonebanks (Mel Gibson), who years ago co-founded The Expendables with Barney. Stonebanks subsequently became a ruthless arms trader and someone who Barney was forced to kill… or so he thought. Stonebanks, who eluded death once before, now is making it his mission to end The Expendables — but Barney has other plans. Barney decides that he has to fight old blood with new blood, and brings in a new era of Expendables team members, recruiting individuals who are younger, faster and more tech-savvy.

Director: Patrick Hughes

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Wesley Snipes, Antonio Banderas, Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford, Kellan Lutz, Ronda Rousey, Victor Ortiz, Glen Powell, Kelsey Grammer

Trailer: Trailer "The Expendables 3"

Comment: There is also a woman in the group this time, awesome! And again some of the biggest action heroes ever, with some great new additions.

About Alex

Description: Seven college friends reunite over a three-day weekend, after one of them attempts suicide. When the friends get together to keep an eye on Alex (Jason Ritter), the weekend that ensues will renew old crushes and resentments, shine light on bad decisions, and ultimately push friendships and relationships to the brink as the group tries to speculate when the simple life of their college years turned so muddy and complex. Sometimes irreverent, sometimes poetic, and always moving, About Alex is a searingly honest look at the changing nature of adult friendship in the Facebook/Twitter generation.

Director: Jesse Zwick

Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Max Greenfield, Nate Parker, Max Minghella, Jason Ritter, Maggie Grace, Jane Levy

Trailer: Trailer "About Alex"

Comment: It looks like a movie I would watch, but the poster is horribly photoshopped.

The Good Lie

Description: A Sudanese refugee is taken in by a straight-talking American woman, Carrie Davis (Reese Witherspoon), in their new home in the United States.

Director: Philippe Falardeau

Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Corey Stoll

Trailer: Trailer "The Good Lie"

Comment: Not a Reese fan, but this looks good.

The Judge

Description: Big city lawyer Hank Palmer (Robert Downey Jr.) returns to his childhood home where his father (Robert Duvall), the town's judge, is suspected of murder. Hank sets out to discover the truth and, along the way, reconnects with his estranged family.

Director: David Dobkin

Starring: RObert Downey Jr., Robert Duvall, Vera Farmiga, Vincent D'Onofrio, Jeremy Strong, Dax Shephard, Billy Bob Thornton, Ken Howard, Emma Tremblay, Balthazar Getty, David Krumholtz, Sarah Lancaster, Grace Zabriskie, Denis O'Hare

Trailer: Trailer "The Judge"

Comment: Chills, want to see this!

 

Felony

Description: Three detectives become embroiled in a tense struggle after a tragic accident that leaves a child in critical condition. One is guilty of a crime, one will try to cover it up, and the other attempts to expose it. How far will these men go to disguise and unravel the truth?

Director: Matthew Saville

Starring: Tom Wilkinson, Joel Edgerton, Jai Courtney and Melissa George

Trailer: Trailer "Felony"

Comment: Australian accents, yeah!