I’ll be honest, the main reason I chose to review The Judge was because the coolest man in the world, Robert Downey Jr, is the protagonist. That was enough of a selling point for me. Then, as the film started the audience is littered with corny emotional tropes, the disapproving father, the lost and selfish main character leaving the big city to return to his small hometown where time has stood still, even the inclusion of a mentally challenged brother to drive emotion – who just happens to film everything as an obvious tool to be used later in the film to help dad and son reconnect.
The movie was rife with cliche and cheesy symbolism, even using a literal storm to enforce the plot hitting its low point. Then, as the film ended, I sat in the seat, with a lump in my throat and something stuck in my eye. Somehow, it got me.
For director David Dobkin, whose claim to fame is from films like Wedding Crashers and Shanghai Knights, a venture into the drama genre has done him well. Looking back on how the story ‘got me’ it was actually evident from the start. This idea has been done countless times before. It’s a broken family, exhibiting constant hostility and general stubbornness that frustrates the audience to just want to see them be happy. You know the general gist and tone the movie is going for and you are a passenger for the ride. This was a negative predisposition going into the film that this reviewer had and shouldn’t have had. Each film should be judged (pun definitely intended) on its own individual merits and what it is trying to achieve and, frankly, The Judge has the best script of any film I’ve seen this year.
The casting was brilliant. Robert Downey Jr. was basically playing Robert Downey Jr (if he was a big shot lawyer who can do no wrong). Robert Duvall is epic. He provides the majority of the emotion as a stone-cold judge trying to maintain a legacy – one he sees self-destructing when he must face the other side of the law after being accused of murder. Vincent D’Onofrio deserves an honourable mention. His brief appearances are all fantastic and his character portrayal of older brother Glen is on point.
There are great dialogue exchanges, visceral scenes and intense reveal moments. It’s a heartwarming and touching story that hooks on subtlety and doesn’t let go (even if you’re convinced this plot narrative is tried and done). The Judge does it the best I’ve seen in a very long time and that certainly makes it worth the price of admission.
The Judge is now showing at Palace Electric Cinema, NewActon.
