Review of The Judge (2014) by Christian C — 07 Jun 2015

"The Judge" is a decent film. Although Duvall gave a typically good performance, I don't think it was quite worthy of an Academy Award nomination. Duvall's character's motivations are unbelievable, or at least their complexities are not adequately explained or conveyed.

Downey Jr.'s choice to play the prodigal son in an unregulated, manic manner was appropriate for the role although it was also unnecessary. Biily Bob Thornton's portrayal of an unctuous, ill-motivated prosecutor was absolutely delightful although unnecessary because his character really isn't doing anything shady or underhanded.

In short, the characters and story were good, but the film might have been more effective if different choices had been made by (or for) the actors.