Review of The Judge (2014) by Mark W — 15 Feb 2015

Sometimes you can read a "MOVIE INFO" summary and it never really conveys what I find after actually viewing the movie. I am not a Robert Downey, Jr. fan - I never have been, and after I had seen "The Soloist", I was sure that I never would be.

Now, I am forced to reconsider. "The Judge" is a great day-of-solitude and soul-searching movie to watch. It doesn't lock itself into any particular genre (I don't think) and runs the gamut of human experience.

If this is cliché, then it's well done. Father loses wife, suffers cancer, hides the truth, judges the wicked. Son tries to repair his life, loses wife, hides the truth, and protects the wicked. This dichotomy mirrors the veiled/love-hate relationship that the father Judge (Robert Duvall) shares with his defense lawyer son (Robert Downey Jr.

). The Judge (more of a father than anything) finds plenty of space in his heart to shower love and praise upon his essentially failed other two sons, but always rides Hank (Downey) hard. At the ages of 13 and 18 Joseph (Duvall) recounts harsh punishments he'd put upon the boy.

He reveals later why, but is still rock like in dealing with Hank. Hank plays pivotal roles in why he may be the only professional success among the sons. Even so, his marriage fails, and, as the Judge is faced with murder charges, Hank now faces the risk of that relationship failing as well without ever being realized by his father as a success.

For me, the only reason I picked up this film was because it was the only RedBox (in the Top 20) which I had not already seen. I should have watched it much sooner. It's beautifully filmed, expertly directed, and touching.

It tells the tale of not judging, lest ye be judged. We see the Judge deal with some serious truths about himself, and eventually how he reconciles his familial relationships while always staying true to his beliefs.

(It's much more than that, but watch this one intently so as not to miss any of the short, truly enchanting scenes. They're definitely worth a laugh, smile, or might even jerk a tear from your eye).