The Judge

I saw this film twice at TIFF and was quite impressed! It's getting some harsh reviews, undeservedly. Yes, it's too long and yes, director David Dobkin needs to work on his tone and pacing, but the story is great and the performances are fantastic!

Not a simple courtroom drama at all, the story is more about Hank Palmer (Downey)'s struggle to understand his relationship with his father and to accept where he came from. It's about identity, family, and all the messiness and contradictions of life.

If you are a teenager who can't sit still through a more-than-two-hours long movie, or expect some type of John Grisham or Iron Man-like action from this film, you will be disappointed. If you are a true film lover who revels in watching great actors practice their craft, you will not be disappointed by The Judge.

This movie is definitely worth sitting through for amazing performances by both Downey and Duvall, who could both be up for Oscar nominations for their roles as the son and father, respectively. There are many very funny moments as well as many touching moments between father and son, brother and brother. The audience I sat with at Roy Thomson Hall loved it, frequently expressing their appreciation with laughter. See for yourself on October 10--don't let a few critics spoil it for you.

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

The Judge is directed by David Dobkin and stars Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall. It's cool to see Robert Downey Jr. in a role that doesn't involves him putting an iron suit on. This man has talent, he actually is an excellent actor, I recommend to check out some of his movies from the 90's to early 2000. Of course Robert Duvall was in To Kill a Mockingbird, he's a fantastic and iconic actor since for ever. This movie is exciting. Firstly I'm impressed; not only this film is funny but it's also very interesting, an almost two and a half hours movie and you are never bored. That's what I called Cinema. Though, there is nothing original about the story but it does focus a lot on hi characters. Plus, Robert Downey Jr. is excellent in this film; he steels every scene he's in and that's pretty the whole movie. As I said before, it's good to see him again playing an adult male character other than Iron Man, he's great as Iron Man but this actor can do serious adult drama movies and killed it as well. It reminds me of Zodiac. It's also great to have Robert Duvall back because for the past few years he was just a cool supporting actor showing up for few scenes and that's pretty much it; but here he's GOOD! Vincent D'Onofrio is terrific in the movie as well as Billy Bob Thornton who is the "bad" guy but he's just doing his job, he's underused. However, on the one hand there are some intense and powerful scenes between the two protagonists but in the other hand some are a bit cheesy and unrealistic. Everything involving the girl and her daughter in the movie could have been erased. It's evolving around this father and son emotion, you don't really need her. Vera Farmiga is a good actress but it won't miss something if they skip it, I would even say that this is a little irrelevant to the overall plot. Finally, I feel like there weren't enough of the court room scenes, that are my favorite ones; they keep showing those a bit boring and useless family drama dynamic argument when the main plot take place around this super interesting case.

Overall The Judge is an effective and well directed movie with performances that all are very good, the story is very interesting, showing family bonding and doing something good for the world as when you walk out of this movie, the only thing you want to do is call your father.

But if you want a great story, lots of character development and first rate acting then The Judge is about as good as you'll get this year.

Robert Downey, Jr. has always shown himself to be a top quality actor. His role here as Henry Palmer is no exception. Watching him here you forget about all the high-tech comic book movies he's done. This, I'm sure, is the kind of role actors look for when they have no trouble paying the bills.

Vera Farmiga is very impressive as the love interest. She's both beautiful and talented.

But Vincent D'Onofrio was possibly the most impressive. There's always something just under the surface, whether he's playing a stressed out Marine recruit, an over worked homicide detective, or the big brother who missed his chance at Big League dreams, D'Onofrio may have given the most understated performance of the whole film.

I highly recommend this one if you like quality drama.

Firstly I have to say that the trailer I saw for The Judge advertised it as a courtroom/family drama with some comedy thrown in. Who doesn't love the family feud type films, where the black sheep of the family returns home for a funeral/wedding/divorce etc? And I was looking forward to seeing Robert Downey Jr in a different role from Tony Stark/Iron Man. What I didn't expect was a bit of a tearjerker.

The story itself is fairly clichéd. A lawyer (Robert Downey Jr) in the middle of a messy separation returns home for his mother's funeral. His estranged father (Robert Duvall) doesn't want anything to do with him. He rekindles romance with an old flame (Vera Farmiga). It's the performances though that make it engaging and stop it from potentially being just another straight to DVD release.

The film is beautifully directed by David Dobkin. Downey Jr and Duvall are both excellent. Their scenes are strong and emotional. I also loved Vincent D'Onofrio and Jeremy Strong (as Downey Jr's older and younger brothers respectively). They are terrific. Farmiga, Dax Shepard and Billy Bob Thornton are all great, but I felt they were somewhat underused.

Even though I think that there was a bit too much going on and at times it got a bit too sentimental, I still very much enjoyed The Judge for the most part. It is a touching and absorbing film, that will make you laugh and cry, and if you are a fan of either Downey Jr or Duvall you'll love it.

I don't usually write a review, but I feel compelled to defend this film against critics who, I feel, have unfairly given it a low rating. While its premise is not necessarily unique and it has its fair share of clichés, The Judge is a deeply moving film that showcases the acting powerhouse that is Robert Duvall and the undeniable versatility and magnetic screen presence of Robert Downey Jr. There are also strong supporting performances from Vera Farmiga (she and RJD have great chemistry), Billy Bob Thornton, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Jeremy Strong. I dare anyone who has dealt with family issues not to be affected. Forget the critics - they don't know everything - and do yourself a favour and watch The Judge. You won't regret it.