‘The Judge’ Film Review

Review of The Judge Starring Robert Downey Jr
Robert Downey Jr and Vincent D’Onofrio in ‘The Judge’ (Photo © 2014 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc)

“We need to establish a firm defense,” says Hank Palmer (Robert Downey Jr). “There’s no WE here, Henry…I wished I liked you better,” replies Joseph Palmer (Robert Duvall) to his middle son who returned home to help bury his mother and is now trying to help defend his father who’s suspected of murder in The Judge.

Big city hotshot lawyer Hank Palmer, who specializes in defending guilty clients, returns home to the little town of Carlinville to pay his respects to his mother, who’s just passed away. It’s a trip and ordeal he’s dreading, especially because he and his father, a respected and revered judge in town, haven’t gotten along in years.

After attending his mother’s wake and funeral, Hank plans to take the first flight out the very next morning. He even makes it onto the plane before getting a call from his big brother, Glen (Vincent D’ Onofrio), that their father has been taken to the police station for questioning regarding a fatal hit and run.

With blood of the victim matching the blood found on Joseph’s damaged car’s front fender and the victim being the only person in town that the Judge openly hated, the senior Palmer is soon on trial for first-degree murder. Despite their feelings of contempt for one another, Joseph finally agrees to let his son defend him, and Hank sets out to discover the truth of what happened that night and to save his father from prison.

With stand-out performances by Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall, wonderful cinematography, and a powerful score, The Judge is an effective although overlong and at times over melodramatic film. Robert Downey Jr. delivers a memorable performance as Hank, the morally questionable, cutthroat lawyer who still yearns for his father’s respect and approval.

Duvall is spot on as Joseph, Hank’s father, who’s the old-fashioned, tough judge in town. Joseph can be pious and even incredibly mean when he so desires, but in his own way, he still wants to reconnect with his estranged son. The two actors have great chemistry on screen and play beautifully opposite each other.

Unfortunately, Vera Farmiga’s talents are wasted portraying the one-dimensional Samantha Powell, Hank’s old sweetheart and diner owner whose only purpose in the film is to flirt with Hank and provide an unnecessary sub-plot that detracts from both the courtroom drama as well as the dysfunctional family chaos.

The movie is beautifully filmed with incredible cinematography and outstanding use of lighting. The score is both stirring and poignant, adding to the more emotional scenes without overwhelming them.

One of the few drawbacks to The Judge is its tendency to become overly dramatic, like when Hank and Joseph finally have it out during a tornado. The Judge is at its best when it offers a quiet or simple human moment, such as Duvall’s Joseph saying goodbye to his wife at her funeral while the mourners are headed to their cars, or when Hank helps Joseph in the bathroom when he is being ill. It’s these moments that will ring true to the audience.

With two compelling leads and a solid supporting cast, The Judge is a crowd-pleasing drama that will have the audience rooting for Hank both in and out of the courtroom.

GRADE: B-

The Judge is rated R for language including some sexual references.