Film Review

The Judge, with Robert Downey, Jr. and Robert Duvall.

Downey overcame a history of self destruction to become one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood.  There's no limit of future projects for him to choose from.  Instead of making another mindless mass of audio-visual noise he chose to make a real film about real people facing real problems.

Hank Palmer is a very successful defense attorney in Chicago and is openly held in contempt by the local prosecutors.  He was  to defend a client on the charge of corporate fraud when he receives a call on his I-phone notifying him that his mother has died.

To return home for the funeral was a difficult task as he wasn’t on speaking terms with his father  As he explained to his young daughter.  “'He's dead to me,' is a figure of speech.”

Hank manages to return home and speak to his father without snapping.  But as he was about to return home his father is charged with murder.  Seeing that his father’s counsel is not competent to defend him he steps in out of pride to perform the task.  Over the course of the investigation and trial the past acts of the characters are revealed and the reasons for their actions become clear. 

And it becomes clear that the character of the alleged victim could only be properly described in the language of the gutter.  In short, he asked for it.

This is clearly a film for people who enjoy the process of thought, and not a movie for the mindless audience.