THE JUDGE

As seen in

www.camrosecanadian.com

Autumn is usually known for film scares and snow. While neither has really shown up yet, it has shown to be the time that Hollywood crams its dramas onto the screen.  And with the cast this film offers, it has all the makings to be brilliant flick.  With that in mind, we have The Judge.

Henry Palmer (Robert Downey Jr.) is a witty, sarcastic and flat-out bully of a defense attorney in Chicago.  While starting a new case, he interrupted from a call stating that his mother has passed away.  After bring granted a continuance for obvious reasons he makes the journey back to his hometown of Carlinville, Indiana.  From the start you know he is not excited to come back to the small, hick town that is seemingly exactly as he left it.  He is immediately confronted with his troubled past, an ex-lover (Vera Farmiga), and the circumstances that made him leave.

Henry heads to the courthouse to see his father Judge Joseph Palmer (Robert Duvall).  You see right away that Judge (as he is referred to by all) is a mean, take-no-prisoners judge; not only in his courtroom attitude, but at home as well.  Judge is a tough love father.  He seems to play favourites with his other sons, older brother Glen (Vincent D’Onofrio) and younger autistic brother Dale (Jeremy Strong) and you can see it pains Henry greatly. It seems Henry could do no right in Judge’s eyes when all he ever wanted was his father’s acceptance.

Things change drastically when Judge is accused of a hit-an-run causing the death of local man Mark Blackwell (Mark Kiely). A man whom Judge has a past with, leading everyone to believe it was an intentional act. The problem is Judge cannot seem to recall the act.  And when no-nonsense prosecutor Dwight Dickham (Billy Bob Thornton) is brought in, Judge is forced to hire Henry to defend him in a case where all the odds seem to be stacked against him.

This flick is a cliché look at family, love and loss.  While garbled in its noble intent, it makes up for the (at times) suffering storyline in performances.  Although Downey Jr. didn’t have to dial in too much to pull off his character (think Tony Stark), his eyes show just how brilliant of an actor he really is.  Duvall absolutely commands the screen every time he is on it (can you say Best Supporting Actor?) and both D’Onofrio and Strong do well respectively.  Thornton is actually rather incredible as well. In a movie that has no lack of swearing, he remains professional and clean throughout.  While it could’ve been better, anyone who has dealt with these events (minus perhaps the court case) you will have a feeling of nostalgia that may not be entirely welcomed.  Either way, I feel it is a must see for the drama-enthusiast out there.