Henry “Hank” Palmer (Robert Downey Jr) is a successful, high flying city lawyer, with a reputation to match. Firmly installed in his urban life, reality and his past suddenly catch up with him after the death of his mother and a long overdue trip back to his rural home town. Determined to keep his visit as short as possible, Hank endures the duration of his stay avoiding painful memories and his estranged father, long standing Judge of the town, Joseph Palmer (Robert Duvall). Life has other plans for Hank however, when Joseph is involved in a fatal hit and run accident.
Uninterested in his father’s demise, Hank is eventually persuaded by his brothers to stay and defend him in court. Neither father nor son are pleased with the arrangement but professional experience draws them to this logical outcome. Surely enough, the process forces Hank and Joseph to face their rivalry and uncover the truths and emotions that drove them apart.
The film starts out with a very promising layout, a meaty story about making amends and healing old wounds. Add to that a respectable cast who do not disappoint in delivering the performances you’d expect. But it quickly fizzles into clichés and dips in and out of unnecessary sidelines which don’t add anything substantial to the story. Hank’s failing marriage for example is kept somewhere in the background and similarly, his reunion with his high school flame Samantha (Vera Farmiga) doesn’t seem to conclude anywhere. Many other backstories are introduced, like his older brother’s ruined baseball career after a car accident, his younger brother’s mental illness, the Judge’s relationships with the townsfolk and the paternity of Samantha’s daughter, all substantial pieces of the puzzle that are touched upon but then disregarded.
Not to say that there aren’t some great scenes. Robert Duvall in particular steals the show with his laconic tolerance of Hank’s return, embodying in his performance the deeper wounds that created the rift between them. Robert Downey Jr responds with an equal calibre of emotion and pent-up need to gain his father’s approval. One touching scene where Hank helps Joseph after a nasty chemotherapy reaction is beautifully executed, with just the right amount of humour injected to lighten up an otherwise harrowing situation.
Vincent D’Onofrio and Jeremy Strong are a constant presence as the long suffering brothers caught in the middle of this friction, but again only from the sidelines. Slightly odd also is the choice of Billy Bob Thornton as the prosecutor in the murder trial. He may fit the role like a glove but the part is so insubstantial, it feels almost like a token casting simply to match the rest.
Overall, The Judge doesn’t quite disappoint but does leave you wanting something more. Or perhaps less. On more than one occasion the writers forget the “show don’t tell” rule, allowing the dialogue to spoil a good moment and disturbing the flow of the film. It’s a shame really that what could have been a really great film has to suffer from a poorly written script that simply does not do the performances justice.
