The Judge Movie Review

by Kevin Gardner

The Judge is a 2014 legal drama starring Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall. It was directed by David Dobkin. It follows the story of Hank Palmer, played by Downey Jr., and his troubled relationship with his father, played by Duvall.

Summary

The movie is a mixture of courtroom and family drama. It revolves around the relationship between the main character and his father. It received mixed reviews, with many critics praising the acting of Duvall and Downey Jr, but panning the formulaic script and undeveloped supporting characters. The film was not a huge box office success; however, fans of legal thrillers, such as court reporters Denver, may enjoy it.

The Plot

The movie opens with the death of Hank's mother. Hank leaves Chicago, IL, where he is working as a successful attorney, to return to his hometown of Carlinville, IN, for his mother's funeral. He has an argument with his wife Lisa, whom he is in the process of divorcing, before leaving town.

Hank returns to his family home, where he reconnects with his brothers Glen and Dale and his estranged father, Judge Joseph Palmer, whom he refers to as "Judge." Hank was a troublemaker in his youth, which put him on his father's bad side. Their relationship was permanently damaged when Hank caused a car accident that injured his brother Glen and put an end to Glen's hopes of a future Major League Baseball career. Judge Palmer could have helped his troubled son or sentenced him to community service, but instead opted to send him to juvenile detention.

In the present day, Hank secretly watches his father presiding over a case. He notices that his father seems confused and is unable to remember the name of his long-time bailiff. After the funeral, Hank spots some damage to his father's Cadillac and accuses him of having been driving drunk. The Judge has a history of alcohol abuse but denies having a relapse and he doesn't remember having been in an accident.

After arguing with his father, Hank makes plans to leave Carlinville and never return, but before he can get out, his brother Glen calls to inform him that their father is now a suspect in a fatal hit and run accident. The Judge is indicted on second-degree murder charges after investigators discover the victim's blood on his Cadillac. 

Hank eventually takes over for the Judge's inept defense team and while preparing his father's case, he learns that the Judge is receiving chemotherapy for terminal cancer. Hank believes that his father's memory lapses, including his inability to remember the accident, could be a side-effect of the treatment. The Judge insists on testifying at his trial, believing himself to be ethically bound to do so. In the process, he damages his defense by admitting that he can't remember the accident, but he thinks he might have intentionally killed the victim, a recently released murderer whom the Judge had sentenced to 20 years in prison. 

Hank gets the Judge to reveal that he felt guilt for having previously given the dead ex-convict a light sentence for shooting up the home of his eventual murder victim because he reminded him of his son, whom he regretted not helping during his troubled youth. The Judge is convicted of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to four years in prison, but receives a compassionate release after seven months, due to his terminal illness.

Hank returns home and reconciles with his father, who praises him for being a good lawyer, before dying peacefully on a fishing boat. The conclusion of the film hints that Hank will become the town's next Judge.

Ironically, the moral of the story seems to be that families should be less judgmental towards each other. The majority of the drama could have been avoided if the Judge had treated his young son with empathy, rather than judgment. The pair reconcile at the end, but there is no getting the years of estrangement back.