Le juge

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.

Robert Duvall's performance as an irascible old man dying of cancer in the title role both got an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor and is the highlight of the film. Duvall who is now 84 years old puts a lifetime of learning and experience into this role, a part he literally aged right into.

Robert Downey, Jr. plays Duvall's estranged son, a very successful Chicago criminal attorney who gets a call from his brother Vincent D'Onofrio that their mother has just passed on. Right in mid trial he gets a postponement and flies to the small Indiana town where he grew up to be with his brothers and dad.

While still in mourning a man is run down by a car identified as Duvall's and he's arrested. Turns out to be a man he gave a break to in his court who came back and pulled a horrible crime. He'll need a good lawyer, but Duvall won't make the obvious choice.

There's a whole lot issues separating Duvall and Downey making a gulf as wide as the Pacific Ocean. As he proudly points out Downey commands some big fees in Chicago. My favorite scene in the film is Duvall insisting that local attorney Dax Sheppard be his lawyer. Sheppard is a part time lawyer and a full time antique dealer who got his law degree at a school Valparaiso, Chile, good old Valpo as he calls it. Downey is beside himself at this guy's incompetence.

Grace Zabriskie has a short but memorable performance as the mother of the man who was killed. Years of rage and hate come out at Duvall. As Downey points out when you're a town judge like that for 35 years you will make rulings and have a lot of people you ruled against hate you. In fact as we meet Duvall there's a great example of that when he orders this redneck deadbeat to cough up child support by giving title to his brand new truck over to his esteemed wife so she can sell it. In that world that's like ordering castration. You will make enemies with decisions like that. It kind of makes you wonder about all those old Andy Hardy movies where Lewis Stone was beloved by all in Carvel.

Downey and Duvall have a special dynamic working in The Judge. Their last scene together is exponentially poignant.

A whole lot of family dirt is exposed when the rug is lifted in The Judge. For fans of both Downey and Duvall this is a must.

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.

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.

It's not easy to judge or to make the right choice as one. And the past always will get to you, no matter what you do and what you try to forget about it. This family drama is a perfect example of that. Basing everything on two major actors, this is more than solid (gold). The story works and you're invested from the get go. Even if Robert Downeys character might not seem the friendliest or maybe because of that. Because he seems to be able to get away with things.

But we do get to see behind that curtain/wall, that his character has made up and his own denial. There is an almost weird love triangle, which might throw some people off, but it's just to make our main character more believable, to show what he became over the years. Every decision will result in some consequences, question is who is the one taking them.... A great drama and movie, highly recommended