The Judge
Rated: M
Three out of five
Now showing
ROBERT Downey Junior is known for the same type of character; a good guy with a tough exterior.
No matter the role there is still the essence of Downey jnr motivating the character’s actions.
His role in as hot-shot criminal defence lawyer Henry ‘Hank’ Palmer in The Judge, is no different, but that’s not a necessarily a bad thing.
It’s Downey jnr’s essence which makes the role.
By having the actor’s seal of approval it almost adds authenticity to the character and it’s easy to believe Hank is in the beginning stages of a divorce and has a troubled relationship with father Joseph (Robert Duvall), who is known as Judge throughout the film.
If Hank Palmer was one of the many roles Downey jnr suits to a ‘T’ then Duvall is a great choice to play opposite.
Duvall shines as a long-term, small town judge who is faced with being on the witness stand for the first time after he was charged with killing a man with his car.
However, even though Duvall and Downey jnr is supported by Billy Bob Thornton, Vincent D’Onofrio, Vera Farmiga and Leighton Meester The Judge should have done better than it did.
The storyline seemed to have too many sub-plots distracting the audience from the drama unfolding at its heart.
Between Hank’s rekindling romance with high-school sweetheart Samantha (Farmiga), the troubled past with brother Glen (D’Onofrio) and the possibility that Carla (Meester) is actually his daughter, there seemed to be too much going on.
Aside from that, all of the sub-plots weren’t resolved or even had the potential to be resolved.
Yes the main point of the movie was the trial but the little in-between parts were just left there hanging.
Scriptwriters should have simplified on the amount of sub-plots they had so they were able to elaborate on one or two of them.
This being said, The Judge is worth watching if only to see how the trial plays out.
It turns into a movie not about guilt or innocence, but rather justice and whether the law can support it.
Credit needs to be given to the fact this is not a black and white trial and the film humanises the situation which the Palmer family has to go through.
