The Judge

Sometimes it's just fun to see two very talented actors go at each other.  In The Judge, we get to see Robert Downey, Jr and Robert Duvall not only share the screen, but test each other.  They play a father and son who share a lot of guilt and pain in each others lives, and are forced to confront those emotions when the father (a long-standing judge in a small town) finds himself under suspicion of murder.  The two actors not only play off of each other, but challenge each other to do the best in each scene they share together.

Fortunately, they are surrounded by a top-flight supporting cast.  And while the script may be a little predictable, it's still entertaining, and the cast makes it work.  This is an adult drama that really exists so we can see two pros at work.  It won't be nominated for any wards next winter, and that's just fine.  It's a crowd-pleasing drama that mixes the courtroom drama of the numerous John Grisham films of the mid 90s, and the sentimental drama of an estranged family coming together.  The combination works because neither half is too heavy handed, and the movie manages to keep a fairly light and sometimes humorous tone.  It's a melodrama for sure, but it knows how to tug at our emotions without making them feel violated or overly-manipulated.  The Judge is a fine film with strong performances.

Robert Downey, Jr plays Hank Palmer, a big city lawyer whose clients are mostly guilty people who hire him to make them look good in the courtroom.  When someone asks how he can deal with working with criminals on a regular basis, Hank tells him point blank "innocent people can't afford me".  Downey's performance here is not far removed from his portrayal of Tony Stark in the Iron Man films, especially during the early scenes.  He's slick, overly-confident, quick with a sarcastic barb, and talks so fast that it's a wonder anyone can keep up with him.  As the film opens, Hank is called out of his recent case when he gets a message that his mother has passed away.  This means returning to the small Indiana town that he once called home, and ran away from, vowing never to look back.

Returning to his hometown means reconnecting with his two brothers.  The elder brother (Vincent D'Onofrio) has stayed in town to look after the family, particularly the youngest brother (Jeremy Strong), who is mentally challenged.  And then there is Hank's father, Joseph (Robert Duvall), a judge who is seen by many as the pillar of the community.  There is a lot of bad blood between Hank and Joseph.  They are immediately icy with each other the moment they first lay eyes on each other.  A lot of it has to do with childhood demons Hank refuses to let go of, believing his father never really supported him.  Joseph believes that he supported Hank enough, and does not approve of anything his son has chosen to do with his life.  There are deeper problems, as well.  While sitting in the audience and watching his father preside over a trial, he notices that Joseph has a hard time remembering the name of his bailiff who has worked with him for years, and fears that his father might be drinking again after being sober for over 20 years.

Joseph is a hard and introverted man, and now that his wife has passed away, he seems to be withdrawing even more.  All Hank can think about is that he can't wait to leave this place once the funeral is done, and he never has to see his father again.  But then, more troubling news comes.  The police show up at the house, and charge Joseph with vehicular homicide.  It seems that at some point the night before, while Joseph was out driving to a convenience store, he apparently hit a man who once appeared before Joseph in a court case.  There has been bad blood between the two for years.  What's worse, Joseph claims to have no memory of hitting the man.  Hank wants to know the truth of what happened, and his father the judge is reluctant to share it.  Eventually, Hank feels the only way he will learn the truth is if he defends his father in court.

It won't surprise anyone that the more time Hank and Joseph spend together, both in and outside of the courtroom, that the two will discover that they are more alike than they ever possibly thought.  There will be a lot of family secrets, some revelations, and an old high school flame for Hank to reconnect with (Vera Farmiga).  While nothing all that shocking happens during the course of The Judge, it is the performances that keep us engaged.  Both Downey and Duvall are masters at commanding the screen, and when they are both together, neither one backs down.  That's the way it should be.  These are both dominant actors playing dominant characters who refuse to let the other one win.  They don't just argue over old family wounds, they seem offended by the very presence of each other.  Even when they start to soften up to each other by the end of the film, we can still sense a certain sort of one-upmanship.  These characters are constantly afraid to let their guard down.  

The supporting characters, such as the brothers, the old flame, and the prosecuting attorney who's spearheading the case against Hank's father (Billy Bob Thornton) are all excellent, even if they never get to command the screen quite like the two leads do.  The movie does a great job of establishing the different people in Hank's life, their relationship with him, and then creating a realistic arc for that relationship to follow.  None of the side characters feel unnecessary, as they all play some part in the lives of the two main characters.  Vera Farmiga, in particular, gets to share some really nice moments with Downey, and I actually would have liked to have seen a few more between them.  They have an easy chemistry together, and do a good job of conveying the mixed emotions that surround their relationship.

The Judge is a quiet, unassuming yet entertaining film that never seems to wear out its welcome, despite running nearly two and a half hours.  If anything, it's an opportunity to see Duvall, who at 83 years old can still be a commanding presence on the screen.  Watching Downey and him play off and attack each other is so entertaining, it's almost worth seeing the movie alone for.  Fortunately, the movie itself is pretty interesting.

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