Review of The Judge (2014) by Leon B — 08 Mar 2015

Review:

I'm a big fan of Robert Downey Jr. so my expectations for this movie were really high but I found it quite boring. It really didn't have to be over 2 hours long! Anyway, it's about a hot shot lawyer (Downey) who returns home after the death of his mother. When the funeral is over, he attempts to go back home because of his troubled relationship with his father but he ends up returning because his father has a car accident which killed someone. His dad (Duvall), who is the towns judge, is having chemotherapy due to cancer so he's suffering from memory lose and bad moods swings which is why he can't remember if he ran over the man who got killed. When the police see the damage on his car, he becomes the main culprit for the murder so his son helps to defend him in court. The movie seemed to drag after a while because it's mainly based around the relationship between Downey and Duvall. I was hoping for a deep court drama, like a Few Good Men but it's an emotional drama which doesn't really have that much going on. The performances from the actors were great and I love Downeys infectious screen charisma, but the problem is the storyline which is extremely slow and basic. The courtroom scenes weren't that dramatic but Duvall really does show some true emotion, especially when he's being sick in the bathroom. Anyway, it's worth a watch just to see these actors bring true drama to there characters but I personally was hoping for more from the storyline. Watchable!

Round-Up:

Downey is hot property in Hollywood at the moment and he's loved by audiences and his fellow actors. He has come full circle after his crack addiction problems and he's looking pretty good at the age of 50. Duvall is still pulling out great performances at the age of 84 and it's hard to remember him in the early years in movies like the Godfather and Apocalypse Now. In this film, the chemistry between the 2 characters was great and very realistic. When the scary looking Billy Bob Thornton goes against them in court I honestly thought that there was going to be fireworks but the director didn't take advantage of the opportunity. Maybe that's why it didn't blow up at the box office but at least it made it's money back.

Budget: $50million.

Worldwide Gross: $84million.

I recommend this movie to people who are into their deep dramas about a hot shot lawyer who returns home to bury his mum and ends up defending his dad in court after he causes a fatal car accident. 6/10.