The Judge 2014 (Movie Review)

Dir: David Dobkin
Starring: Robert Downey Jr. Vera Farmiga, Robert Duvall
Dur: 2 hrs 20 mins
Genre: Drama
Rating: 4/5
PG: Swearing. Few making-out scenes.

This is a story of a rich and eccentric lawyer who goes back home and tries to repair his relationship with his father. The film has a fair amount of emotion involved as one might expect and delivers a good message.

Henry a.k.a Hank (Robert Downey Jr.) is a wealthy lawyer who has made a name for himself defending criminals and winning nearly every case. On the home front he is struggling in his marriage and has nearly no contact with any of his family members. He has an adorable daughter who it appears is the only person he is really attached to. News of his mother’s death urges him to go back to his home, a place he loathes for reasons that become apparent later. He doesn’t have a very good relationship with his two brothers and his father and he are dead to each other. He makes feeble attempts to revive deadening relationships and by the end of the film one can say that he succeeds, at least to a certain extent.

Joseph Palmer (Robert Duvall) has been the local judge for 42 years but is suddenly mixed up in a homicide accusation. After much fighting, Hank begins to represent his father. The film fluctuates from a family to a courtroom drama but with equal effect. The actors are forceful and give the film a touch of reality. Hank undergoes a tremendous change and finds himself dealing with his past issues that he had for long dusted under the carpet. He begins to find clarity in life and see things in a new way. He meets his ex-flame, Sam (Vera Farmiga) and rediscovers love. The film is poignant but beautifully portrays the struggles of human life.

The story is interesting. The actors are fantastic and convincing. The film is a bit long but is well developed and intriguing throughout. It reflects a reality in many families. What I appreciate is the way the film is presented and the outlook it adopts. Its aim is not to simply present a good story but to present a true, good story and this I think it fulfilled pretty well.      


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