Review of The Judge (2014) by Foxgrove — 18 Oct 2014
Encumbered by a trailer that doesn't do it justice and critics reviews that keep using the term 'mawkish' as if it's going out of fashion, 'The Judge' turns out to be a much better film than expected. Anchored by two powerful performances Its hefty running time just flies by. I concede that at times it seems in danger of toppling into paint by number TV movie of the week territory, but to its credit this doesn't actually happen. The two Roberts, Downey jnr and Duval, play off against each other perfectly, even if for me Downey Jnr has the edge. He never puts a facial expression wrong and I believed his character totally.
A bathroom scene between the pair starts off shockingly but, with perfectly judged precision, becomes lighter as the scene progresses. The delicacy of the playing here makes these moments a highlight.
The supporting cast don't really have a lot to do but are all more than adequate and the screenplay to its credit does offer up a fair share of surprising plot twists.
On the negative side the score single handedly threatens to derail the whole thing as it is far too syrupy. Indeed, this is where the mush is coming from, not the story or the actors. Also, the coda in the boat comes on like 'On Golden Pond'.
This review of The Judge (2014) was written by Foxgrove on 18 Oct 2014.
The Judge has generally received positive reviews.
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