Veering away from the two film franchises that made him the highest paid Hollywood actor today, Robert Downey Jr. chose to do The Judge, a beautifully shot courtroom family drama with a pedigreed supporting cast led by Oscar winners Robert Duvall, Billy Bob Thornton as well as nominee Vera Farmiga. Dax Shepard and Vincent D' Onofrio are also in the film.
Downey plays Hank Palmer, a city big shot lawyer who goes back to his childhood home town after the death of his Mom. His Dad Joseph (Duvall), whom he is not in good terms with, is one of the town's revered judges and when he was suspected of murder in an incident after the funeral, Hank now reconnects with the family and friends in the town he left behind. Farmiga plays Hank's old flame and Thornton as the opposing lawyer.
Despite it's starpower, The Judge could have been better. With Downey, he never left his Tony Spark persona in the film. Fortunately he and Duvall have great chemistry and the scenes of them together are one of the highlights of the film The director David Dobkin is much more known for his comedies Wedding Crashers and Shanghai Knights and by that alone, drama ain't his forte.
The Judge is not a boring movie and it ain't great too. If you are a Robert Downey Jr. diehard fan then by all means go. The Judge is a commendable filler for those who thirst for Tony Stark and can't wait till The Avengers 2 comes out May of next year.
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