Downey, Duvall spar to good effect in 'Judge'

Take "The Judge" on its own terms, as a touching exploration of a father-son relationship, and you may be disappointed. Honest in some ways, it also has just enough schmaltz to make viewers pull back precisely when they're supposed to surrender fully. Sometimes, sentimental is just another word for predictable. "The Judge," despite many virtues, follows a pattern.

Better to think of it this way, as a collision between Robert Duvall and Robert Downey Jr. - or rather their personas - thrown together in a scenario in which they must pretend to be father and son. In one corner we have the irresistible force that is Downey, the mile-a-minute speech, the glib facade barely concealing a vulnerable core. And in the other we have Duvall, the father that no one wants, at least no son, an implacable and belligerent know-it-all who has the unforgivable habit of often being right.

Can they be themselves on screen, those selves we've come to know in detail, and yet seem like members of the same family? The answer is yes, at least once you remember that baldness is inherited from the mother's side. In fact, this is a very good film for both of them, a rich and rare showcase for the 83-year-old Duvall and an opportunity for Downey to remind people that he's really an actor, not just a blockbuster fixture.

It must be lots of fun writing dialogue for Downey: "Everybody wants Atticus Finch until there's a dead hooker in a hot tub."

He plays Hank, a top lawyer who has come a long way from his Indiana childhood, and he may have come some distance from himself as well. He's a workaholic specializing in keeping white-collar criminals out of jail, and he has a trophy wife who is dumping him for one reason or another. Maybe he wasn't nice to her. Or maybe he picked the wrong person.

His mother's death brings him to Indiana for the funeral, which means reuniting with his father, whom he doesn't call "Dad" or "Pops" but "Judge." That says it all.

Then just when he is about to leave, the Judge is arrested for running a guy over with his car, and Hank decides to stay and try to keep his father out of prison.

Much of the story concerns the preparation for the case, but that's really just the framework for the movie's real area of interest, which is the family.

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'The Judge'

Rated R: for language including some sexual references

Running time: 141 minutes


Director David Dobkin might not be the subtlest of directors - he actually has the entire courtroom gasp at one point - but he and his fellow screenwriters avoid the obvious trap of making moral judgments. Hank isn't really in need of reform, and the Judge isn't a complete self-righteous blowhard. Somehow, "The Judge" gets into a rhythm in which it's perfectly acceptable for scenes to linger. The 141-minute running time feels right.

Vera Farmiga makes a strong impression in the modest role of the girl Hank left behind, now all grown up and working at the local diner. The moment she appears, it's like a neon sign flashing, "Move back to Indiana." Vincent D'Onofrio and Jeremy Strong also lend good support as Hank's older and younger brothers, respectively, each troubled in his own way.

But the best thing about "The Judge" is watching Downey and Duvall, as actors, playing off each other. They listen and react and takes lines and moments to places that surprise us and seem to surprise them. It's especially good to see Downey so unguarded, lashing out, letting the emotion rise without comment.

Beethoven once went five years without composing. Until now, Downey has gone five years without making anything close to a serious movie. The bigger waste of time was Beethoven's, but talent wasted is talent wasted. This is the kind of film Downey should be making.