The Judge

The Judge is not a John Grisham story, but it could easily be. But it is a bog standard Hollywood courtroom drama crossed with a family redemption story, in which an excellent cast makes the most of a threadbare and unoriginal script.
It's not so much that it's a bad film, it's just lazy and it's impossible to watch t without being reminded of a dozen other similar stories, many of which have done this sort of thing better.
Robert Downey Jr is a hotshot defence lawyer who gets the rich and guilty acquitted. He lacks conscience, moral fibre and (as it turns out) a happy marriage. When his mother dies, he goes home, something he hasn't done in years because he and his father (Robert Duvall) are not on speaking terms. Duvall is a high-principled judge who can't abide his son being a gun for hire.
Back in the home town, there are of course memories, such as the girlfriend he left behind, the brothers he left behind, and – this being Hollywood – his True Self. The means by which this redemption occurs is his father being accused of murder in a hit and run case, with Big Bad Billy Bob Thornton as the prosecutor, leaving DOwney to defend his dad – something neither of them are that keen on. It's a laboured plot, and although the time passes well enough, there's never a moment when you feel you're watching anything original, exciting or unexpected.
It's also hard to imagine where the audience for this kind of thing will come from. There isn't a best selling novel, a Name to pull the crowds, or anything else to titillate the tastebuds.
5/10
Content supplied by the excellent front row films website check the site and join up for many more reviews and general all-round film goodness.
Must Reads
Joining The Circus
What to do for British politics?
Solidarity with Ukraine
Resource List
URL vs. IRL
Do DJs Today Need Social Media to Be Heard?
Trending track
I Hear (Borusiade Remix)
Mother of Mars
Shop NowMidnite Rogue
Hologram Teen
Shop Now