The Judge (2014 movie)

The Judge
The Judge
Directed by	David Dobkin
Screenplay by	Nick Schenk; Bill Dubuque;
Story by	Nick Schenk; David Dobkin;
Produced by	Susan Downey; David Gambino; David Dobkin
Starring	Robert Downey Jr.; Robert Duvall; Vera Farmiga; Vincent D'Onofrio; Jeremy Strong; Dax Shepard; Billy Bob Thornton;
Cinematography	Janusz Kamiński
Edited by	Mark Livolsi
Music by	Thomas Newman
Production; companies	Warner Bros. Pictures; Village Roadshow Pictures; Team Downey; Big Kid Pictures;
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release dates	September 4, 2014 (TIFF); October 10, 2014 (United States);
Running time	141 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$45–50 million
Box office	$84.4 million

The Judge is a 2014 American legal drama movie directed by David Dobkin, and starring Robert Downey Jr., Robert Duvall, Vera Farmiga, Vincent D'Onofrio, Jeremy Strong, Dax Shepard, Leighton Meester, and Billy Bob Thornton.

Plot

Hank Palmer is a Chicago lawyer who is known to defend powerful but guilty people. He is in the middle of divorcing his wife Lisa who has been cheating on him. They share a daughter, Lauren. Hank goes home to Carlinville, Indiana after his mother dies.

In Carlinville, Hank meets his two brothers Glen and Dale. Glen is a tire shop owner. Dale is intellectually disabled and wants to make movies. In the bar where they meet, Hank meets and has sex with a young woman named Carla who works there. The brothers' father is Judge Joseph Palmer, who is the head of the local court. They simply call him "Judge." Judge had treated Hank badly when he was younger. Hank got into a car accident with Glen, and lost the chance to play baseball. Because of this, Judge sent Hank to juvenile detention.

Hank watches his father oversee a case. He sees Judge could not remember the name of his longtime bailiff. After the funeral, Hank notices Judge's Cadillac is damaged. Hank accuses his father for driving while drunk. Judge defends himself as he doesn't remember any accident. They fight and Hank decides to leave Carlinville. Before he could leave, Glen calls Hank to tell them that Judge is a suspect in killing a man with his car. The victim was Mark Blackwell, a released prisoner. Blackwell was sentenced by Judge to twenty years in jail for killing his girlfriend.

Police find Blackwell's blood on the Cadillac. Judge is accused of first-degree murder. After many bad lawyers, Judge allows Hank to defend him. Hank learns his father has been secretly taking chemotherapy for terminal cancer. Hank thinks this could help Judge get acquitted. Judge refuses since it would hurt his past cases and his legacy. Hank continues fighting with Judge over personal things. Hank's problems get worse after meeting his ex-girlfriend Samantha Powell, the owner of the local diner. Hank finds out Samantha is Carla's mother and he might be Carla's father. Carla realizes her mother's connection to Hank, but uses this to tease Hank. Lauren arrives to visit her father and meet her grandfather. Hank realizes Lauren has the same hair-biting habit as Carla.

After a hospital scare, Judge decides to tell his side of the story in court. Judge makes things worse when he says he could not remember the hit-and-run but he thinks he killed Blackwell on purpose. Judge says that Blackwell reminded him of Hank but he got mad when Blackwell insulted Judge's wife. Hank forces his father to reveal his diagnosis. Hank also demonstrates how Judge could not remember his bailiff's name. While waiting for the result, Hank talks to Samantha about Carla. Samantha reveals that Carla is Glen's daughter, not Hank's. Glen and Carla does not know of their relation to each other. After Hank left her twenty years before, Carla had sex with Glen as revenge. Hank is mad hearing this. Despite this, Hank forgives Samantha. The two reaffirm their love for one another. The court charges Judge not with murder but with voluntary manslaughter. Judge is to be jailed for four years.

Seven months later, Hank returns to Carlinville. Hank visits his father. Judge was released early from jail to die at home. The two decide to fish. Having reconciled, Judge praises Hank as a lawyer. Judge dies peacefully on the boat. The flag at the courthouse is flown at half-staff to honor him. The entire family, including Samantha, Carla, and Lauren, attend his funeral.

Hank visits the courthouse. He spins his father's chair. It stops at his direction.

Cast

Robert Downey Jr. as Henry "Hank" Palmer, a Chicago lawyer
Robert Duvall as Judge Joseph Palmer, Hank's father
Vera Farmiga as Samantha Powell, Hank's ex-girlfriend and owner of the local diner
Vincent D'Onofrio as Glen Palmer, Hank's older brother and the proprietor of the local tire shop
Jeremy Strong as Dale Palmer, Hank's mentally challenged younger brother
Dax Shepard as Attorney C.P. Kennedy
Leighton Meester as Carla Powell, Samantha's daughter
Billy Bob Thornton as Dwight Dickham, the Prosecutor
Ken Howard as Judge Warren
Emma Tremblay as Lauren Palmer, Hank's daughter
Balthazar Getty as Deputy Hanson
David Krumholtz as Mike Kattan
Grace Zabriskie as Mrs. Blackwell
Denis O'Hare as Doc Morris
Sarah Lancaster as Lisa Palmer, Hank's wife
Daryl Edwards as Judge Carter

Reception

The movie received mixed reviews. It got a 47% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics liked Duvall's performance as Palmer. Duvall was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for his role.

References

↑ "Village Roadshow Pictures cosies up to Sony". if.com.au. May 6, 2014. Archived from the original on May 12, 2014. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
1 2 3 "The Judge (2014)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 31, 2015.

Other websites

The Judge on IMDb

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[1] "Village Roadshow Pictures cosies up to Sony". if.com.au. May 6, 2014. Archived from the original on May 12, 2014. Retrieved May 11, 2014.

[mojo-2] 1 2 3 "The Judge (2014)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 31, 2015.

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