A syrupy cocktail fizzing with histrionics
By Murtaza Ali
Featured in IMDb Critic Reviews
Featured in IMDb Critic Reviews
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| The Judge (2014) - By David Dobkin |
Our Rating: 7.0
IMDb Ratings: 7.8
Genre: Drama
IMDb Ratings: 7.8
Genre: Drama
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Robert Duvall, Vera Farmiga
Country: USA
Language: English
Runtime: 141 min
Color: Color
Summary: Hank Palmer is a successful defense attorney in Chicago, who is getting a divorce. When His brother calls with the news that their mother has died, Hank returns to his childhood home to attend the funeral. Despite the brittle bond between Hank and the Judge, Hank must come to his fathers aid and defend him in court. Here, Hank discovers the truth behind the case, which binds together the dysfunctional family and reveals the struggles and secrecy of the family.
The
Judge is a 2014 family drama directed by American filmmaker David Dobkin. Written
for the screen by Nick Schenk and Bill Dubuque, The Judge stars Robert Downey,
Jr., Robert Duvall, Vera Farmiga, Vincent D'Onofrio, Jeremy Strong, and Billy
Bob Thornton in major roles. The Judge revolves around a successful Chicago-based
defense attorney named Hank Palmer (played by Robert Downey, Jr.). Palmer is in
the midst of a midlife crisis when he learns of his mother’s demise. Apparently, his mother
is the only link between him and his estranged family with which he had parted a
couple of decades back. In order to attend her funeral, he reluctantly takes a
trip back to his family home in Carlinville, Indiana where he reunites with his
brothers, Glen and Dale, and his disciplinarian father, Judge Joseph Palmer
(played by Robert Duvall). At first, there appears no love lost between Judge
Palmer and Hank; the ever brewing tension between the father and the son sets
the tone of the movie right from the moment they greet each other coldly at the
funeral congregation. But, there clearly is more to their relationship than meets the eye and
it becomes more obvious as the plot progresses.
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| A Still from The Judge: Hank and Judge Joseph Palmer |
Part
courtroom drama (à la John Grisham), part family tragedy, The Judge is a
strange mess of a film, but one that’s highly entertaining. Yes, the movie is clichéd
but the brilliant performances of Robert Downey, Jr. and Robert Duvall make it click. Downey excels at playing “himself” and it is meant as a compliment. The
late film critic, Roger Ebert, wrote in his review of Bullitt, more than four
decades back: “Stars like McQueen, Bogart, Wayne or Newman aren't primarily actors,
but presences. They have a myth, a personal legend they've built up in our
minds during many movies, and when they try to play against that image it
usually looks phony.” While Downey may not be in the same league as
those legendary performers, he has proved it time and again that there are few actors who can play anti-heroic characters that are fast-talking, cocky, suave, sleek, and cheeky better than him. On the other hand, Duvall is one of the greatest
character actors of our times. And, he proves in The Judge that even at the age
of 83 he is far from being a spent force. In fact, Duvall seems to have made a strong
case for being recognized by the Academy with yet another Oscar nomination.
Overall,
The Judge is a potpourri of human emotions, a syrupy cocktail fizzing with histrionics that
has all the makings of a Greek tragedy. And, yet, to the keen-eyed, the sentiments
may appear perfunctory and the pain superfluous (the actors, to their credit, seem
to have tried their best to cover up the flaws in the narrative). Perhaps,
that’s the price one pays for commercializing art. However, the movie’s greatest strength
is how it succeeds in expounding, with great subtlety, the tender and often
painful threads of the father-son relationship dyad. In addition to Downey’s and Duvall’s, some
of the other performances on display are also quite memorable. While Vera
Farmiga (her flirtatious portrayal harks back to her turn in Martin Scorsese’s
The Departed) and Vincent D'Onofrio are quite solid in their respective
roles, Jeremy Strong packs a punch with his brilliant portrayal of a retard who
loves to shoot around with his camera. Billy Bob Thornton makes his presence
felt in the limited screen time that he gets. While the movie’s cinematography
and editing are impeccable, the same can’t be said of its direction. In the
opinion of this critic, The Judge is not great cinema but those who love movies
shouldn't mind watching it. For, despite its flaws, The Judge remains an
intriguing film with a touching ending.
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| A Still from The Judge: Palmer Siblings |
Readers, please feel free to share your opinion by leaving your comments. As always your valuable thoughts are highly appreciated!
The Judge (2014) Trailer (YouTube)
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Already booked tickets for saturday. I am a greatest fan of Downey and your reviews seems to be good. Thank you Murtaza.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked the review... would love to have your thoughts on the movie once you have watched it!!! :-)
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