Review of The Judge (2014) by Dana F — 24 Oct 2015
This movie is a throwback to the courtroom dramas that had their heyday in the mid-90s... and it feels like it, too. It's extremely old-fashioned and, if it weren't for the cell phones, you would believe it was filmed 20 years ago as well.
There is nothing original about it, it's just a knock off of films of that era (think "A Few Good Men" meets "A Time To Kill"). Everything about it feels dated, from the characters to the dialogue to the music to the camera movement.
The characters, relationships, and situations all seem contrived, and are all covered with a thin layer of cheese. The acting is decent, with another excellent performance by Duvall... even so, it's shocking that he was nominated for an Oscar for such a "been-done" role.
Downey Jr. plays Tony Stark once again, this time as a smug and snarky lawyer instead of a smug and snarky inventor. His range is so impressive! Admittedly, he plays that role very well, but it seems to be the only one he is able to play.
The story itself isn't bad and is enough to hold your interest... but not for the entire run time. It's excessively long (2 1/2 hours!) and not surprisingly, it gets boring pretty fast. And I couldn't help but be personally offended by the depiction of nearly every person from Indiana as an ignorant hilljack.
The movie as a whole is sub-par for the course that's being played these days. I'm sure it would have been much better received had it been released 20 years ago. .
This review of The Judge (2014) was written by Dana F on 24 Oct 2015.
The Judge has generally received positive reviews.
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