THE JUDGE - Tuesday 14th October 2014.

I saw 'THE JUDGE' earlier this week down at my local multiplex. It would be fair to say that this film has garnered mixed reviews from what I have seen and read so far! This Reviewer, however, thought that this disjointed family courtroom drama passes as acceptable and worth a look, but don't expect riveting courtroom drama the like of which you may have seen in the classics including 'A Few Good Men', 'Twelve Angry Men', 'To Kill a Mockingbird', 'The Verdict', 'JFK', 'Erin Brockovich'  and 'A Time to Kill' etc. to name but a few.


What you can expect from this David Dobkin Directed film is reasonably strong performances especially from Robert Duvall as 82 year old father (Judge Joseph 'Joe' Palmer) and two of his sons played by Vincent D'Onofrio (Glen Palmer) and Jeremy Strong (Dale Palmer). The third son is played by Robert Downey Jnr. (Henry 'Hank' Palmer) who has the lead role, and in taking on this role is clearly trying to shake off his Superhero mantle for which he is probably best known. But, that said, as Hank Palmer - hugely successful cock-sure fast-talking big city defence lawyer who has a track record in defending the rich and famous for their crimes and just about always winning, he has that smirk, that swagger and that stance that is . . . Tony Stark! I like Robert Downey Jnr. as an actor, but I couldn't help thinking of 'Iron Man' every time I saw that cheeky grin, that over confident expression, and that relaxed demeanour no matter what on screen as Hank Palmer!

All that said, to the story! The film opens in Chicago and Hank Palmer is defending a Client. In Court his mobile phone rings which he notices is his brother calling, but he allows it to divert to message bank, because his case is getting down to the wire. He retrieves the message, and asks the presiding Judge to approach the bench, asking for a continuance because he has just learned that his mother has died! And so Hank packs his bags, and on leaving the house in his vintage Ferrari kisses his young daughter farewell and argues with his beautiful wife with whom he is on the verge of a divorce.

His journey home to Carlinville, Indiana where he grew up with his two brothers, Mum and Dad is picture postcard stuff - by the river, wide streets, country-town feel, clean and well kempt, and fields of crops for as far as the eye can see surrounding the town. This is where father Joe Palmer has presided as 'The Judge' for 42 years, and where his wife of 50 years is about to be buried. Brothers Glen and Dale still live in Carlinville, but Hank got out a long time ago and has been largely estranged from his family for many years because as a teenager he was a rebel who got wasted one night on drugs and alcohol and drove home with Glen in the car, overturned it, hit a tree and brought a very swift end to Glen's very promising baseball aspirations. Joe has never forgiven Hank, and despite Hank carving out a very successful career as a lawyer in the big city there has been little love, respect or recognition between them since.

With the funeral over and the somewhat stilted family reunion done, Hank argues with his Dad, and leaves for the airport bound for home vowing never to return. On the plane just before take off the phone rings again, and again it is brother Glen with the announcement that Joe has been arrested for the murder of a local man in a suspected hit & run. Reluctantly Hank returns home to Carlinville, and what follows is a battle of wits between Hank and Joe over the details surrounding this 'accident', who should defend Joe and why, the gradual uncovering of what really happened as Police and Prosecution close in, and digging up the past so driving a further wedge that will eventually come full circle making each realise just how important these two legal eagles are to each other, despite everything! We learn that Joe's health is rapidly in decline, that Hank had a thing for College sweetheart Samantha Powell (Vera Farmiga) who still holds a candle despite the time and distance between them, that Joe and the man dead by his alleged hand had a connection that goes back over 20 years, and that Prosecution Lawyer Dwight Dickham (Billy Bob Thornton) has history with Hank as well going way back when, and is intent that justice will prevail, and that 'only the law makes men equal'!

By and large the performances are solid enough - the relationship between the three sons is fleshed out probably as much as it can be, the fractured relationship between father and son Hank is on again off again as they continue to frustrate, anger, confuse and rebel against each other in equal measure but of course come good in the end. Sometimes the melodramatics are overplayed, and with a running time of 142 minutes I thought this could have been cut by 20 at least to make the film more punchy, direct and compact.

I was most disappointed though by the lack of any real courtroom drama; jousting between Defence, Prosecutor and Witnesses; and tension as the case weaves back and forth. Billy Bob Thornton doesn't get enough meat in his sandwich to gnaw away at the case and hammer home his argument, and Robert Downey Jnr. looks too smug in his big city suit defending his ageing ailing Dad in a small town America courthouse! Given that the premise of this film is about a hot-shot lawyer son and his steady dependable pillar of the community accused Judge Dad and the murder trial that engulfs them, we should have expected more from inside the Courthouse and less of what goes on outside it!

In the final analysis this is an average offering that you don't need to see on the big screen. It is not an intense cut & thrust legal drama and it won't go down in the Hollywood History books as such, but it does have some redeeming features. The story is strong enough, but it could have been stronger; it is 20 minutes too long; it has an appealing cast of quality acting talent; and the story moves along at a reasonably good pace. It cost US$50M to make, and good on Downey Jnr. for giving us something different to look at than 'Iron Man 1, 2,3' and 'The Avengers' - more please, but shake off Tony Stark!

 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-