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
