The Judge

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2:14

The Judge

R

Released Oct 10, 2014

2h 21m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

49%

Tomatometer

198 Reviews

72%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Hank Palmer (Robert Downey Jr.), a brilliant but shady attorney, returns to his Indiana hometown after learning that his mother has passed away. His arrival triggers renewed tension between himself and his father, Judge Joseph Palmer (Robert Duvall), who makes no secret of his disapproval of Hank's morally ambiguous career. As the lawyer prepares to depart, his father is arrested for a hit-and-run death. Hank takes on his father's defense, despite the objections of the resentful old man.

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Critics Consensus

Solidly cast and beautifully filmed but thoroughly clichéd, The Judge seems destined to preside over a large jurisdiction of the basic cable afternoon-viewing circuit.

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Donald Clarke

Irish Times

Objection! Meretricious sentimentality! Objection! Badgering the audience! Where is this leading, your honour?

Rated: 2/5

Oct 20, 2014

Full Review

Mark Kermode

Observer (UK)

As the verdict draws closer, the sentimental silliness and courtroom cliches pile up ...

Rated: 3/5

Oct 19, 2014

Full Review

Kate Muir

Times (UK)

Unfortunately, when Downey is not centre-stage the drama becomes leaden, sentimental and utterly improbable.

Rated: 2/5

Oct 17, 2014

Full Review

Ankit Ojha

Cinema Elite

[...] as predictable as it sounds, “The Judge” is anything but that. The film might be a family drama, but it’s refreshingly adult [...] and filled with surprising emotional honesty.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jul 9, 2024

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

The familiarity of the story hurts what is Dobkin's otherwise pleasantly sincere and straightforward direction, and a number of fine performances.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jul 18, 2022

Full Review

Dan Brightmore

NME (New Musical Express)

Robert Duvall gives a startlingly visceral performance in Robert Downey Jr's courtroom drama.

Rated: 4/5

May 26, 2021

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Blue H

Relatively good script but then add Robert Downey, Jr. and Robert Duvall and now we have something worth watching. Overall I very much enjoyed watching, just thought the ending could have been different/better.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/04/24

Full Review

Corey A

They didn’t spend enough time in the beginning with the main character for you to like him. For me personally I have the exact same relationship with my father so it was hard to watch. The best thing is just to cut people like that out. The brother of the main character wasn’t cast correctly either. They should have had a more leading female in the mix.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

06/20/24

Full Review

Patrick C

Great movie. I did not really care for the ending though.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/20/24

Full Review

Sarah D

I won’t say this movie is stellar because it’s not. I do think the audience score is a bit more fair than the critics’ reviews.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/16/24

Full Review

Charles H

Great movie! Writing, acting, directing is top notch!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/14/24

Full Review

Karen S

I think it’s an amazing movie- sentimental for sure but so what? It wasn’t corny - had a great soundtrack that HOLDS UP! And acting is pitch perfect. What actors! How can the reviews suck this badly?!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/05/24

Full Review

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David Dobkin

Director

Robert Downey Jr.

Hank Palmer

Robert Duvall

Judge Joseph Palmer

Vera Farmiga

Samantha Powell

Billy Bob Thornton

Dwight Dickham

Vincent D'Onofrio

Glen Palmer

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The Judge: Trailer 1

2:14

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Synopsis

Hank Palmer (Robert Downey Jr.), a brilliant but shady attorney, returns to his Indiana hometown after learning that his mother has passed away. His arrival triggers renewed tension between himself and his father, Judge Joseph Palmer (Robert Duvall), who makes no secret of his disapproval of Hank's morally ambiguous career. As the lawyer prepares to depart, his father is arrested for a hit-and-run death. Hank takes on his father's defense, despite the objections of the resentful old man.

Director: David Dobkin
Producer: Susan Downey, David Dobkin, David Gambino
Screenwriter: Nick Schenk, Bill Dubuque
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Big Kid Pictures, Team Downey
Rating: R (Some Sexual References|Language)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 10, 2014, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 5, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.7M
Runtime: 2h 21m
Sound Mix: Datasat, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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