The Judge (2014)

Starring: Robert Duvall & Robert Downey Jr.

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

John Grisham, the former lawyer turned novelist, has become known for his action packed, courtroom conspiracies. These films are always full of twists and unlikely heroes, but in his latest film, The Judge, Grisham takes a step back. The lawyers he creates have always been young and smart, but inexperienced and in over their heads, this time, it's just the opposite. Hank Palmer (Robert Downey Jr.) has left his small town upbringing behind and has become one of the biggest criminal defense attorneys in the country. Law has always been in his family, as his father, Joseph (Robert Duvall) has been a judge in that small town for nearly fifty years. Hank is home for a rare visit, when he starts to notice his father is deteriorating, but does little about it. One night, The Judge goes out to the store and hits someone with his car, his son contends, it was a simple accident, but the district attorney thinks it's something more, due to the Judge's former connection with the victim. Despite them never seeing eye to eye, and despite the Judge's stubbornness, he sees no choice but to let his big shot son defend him. Both actors in this film are terrific, few are as good as Robert Duvall, but the chemistry in this film is a bit of a problem. Robert Duvall is always this humble soft spoken guy, that pulls at the heart strings, but Robert Downey Jr. has a personality that's bigger than life itself. While Duvall was amazing, Downey Jr. always seemed to overpower him in their scenes together. The combination made for a few good laughs, but overall, Downey's personality overshadows the empathy the crowd had for Duvall. The bottom line, The Judge may not be John Grisham's most thrilling work, but it does pose some interesting questions of law and explores the necessity of a father/son relationship, even when the two parties don't really get along.