The Big Picture

• The Judge showcases Robert Downey Jr. & Robert Duvall at their best in a compelling father-son dynamic.
• The film balances emotional rawness with moments of levity, showcasing the actors' range.
• Robert Downey Jr.'s performance in The Judge proves his versatility beyond the MCU.

It's been a decade since The Judge graced theaters amid Robert Downey Jr.'s tenure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and boy is it a drama worth revisiting. We might most often associate Downey with his work as Iron Man, Oppenheimer, and his soon-to-be Broadway debut, but rarely do actors give such career-defining performances that don't occur in their most famous movies. In the case of both Downey and his co-star Robert Duvall (who wasn't the first choice for the role), that's especially true of this film. With The Judge making waves again in Netflix's Top 10, it just makes sense to deconstruct this witty courtroom drama and emphasize how it's the dynamic relationship (complicated and dysfunctional as it is) between father and son that makes this story special.

'The Judge' Is Robert Downey Jr. & Robert Duvall at Their Absolute Best

There's little doubt that Downey and Duvall have undertaken plenty of exceptional roles throughout their years on the big screen. Downey has been around since the 1970s and Duvall since the '50s, each amassing an impressive filmography that makes them some of the most sought-after talents in the industry. Every time these guys are on the screen, they knock their characters out of the park. They're interesting and full of plenty of dynamic range to the point that, even if we can't always bring ourselves to root for them, we want to. In the case of David Dobkin's The Judge, Downey and Duvall are cast perfectly in type. Nick Schenk and Bill Dubuque's tight script is followed masterfully with intricate character inflections and high-tension dialogue that keeps you glued to the screen every time these two appear together on it. If it sounds like we're simply blowing smoke and giving too much praise to an often-forgotten character drama, let us reassure you that The Judge really is that good.

Downey rocks the fast-talking, quippy performance here. Arguably, he's most famous for this type of dialogue when playing Tony Stark, but unlike his MCU character, Henry "Hank" Palmer isn't a natural hero trying to atone for his mistakes; rather, he's a high-strung, Chicago lawyer with a chip on his shoulder and layers of emotional weight attached that keep him from ever admitting a mistake or putting others above himself. Well, until his dad is put on trial for murder. He's the type of guy you'd want on your side in a fight but would run hard and fast from if he were on your tail. When juxtaposed with Duvall's Judge Joseph Palmer, Hank's father and a small-town Indiana judge for over 40 years, it's easy to see why these two might butt heads. Judge Palmer is self-righteous, unforgiving, and holds strongly to a legal moral compass, yet he's fair, compassionate, and a pillar of his community. All that Hank hates about his father reflects traits he fights within himself.

What more can we say about Duvall and Downey's chemistry other than praise its inherent excellence? There's something to be said about how two performers can highlight each other's strengths and work with them to produce a masterwork. Paul Newman and Robert Redford did this famously in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting (though sadly Redford and Newman didn't make a third picture together). This is exactly what this pair does here with The Judge. It's entertaining, classy, emotionally rich, and dramatically proficient in all the best ways, hinging entirely on the groundbreaking performances of its two leading men. The way these two bounce off one another feels more real and familiar than many of their other roles, and highlights all the horrible truths of familial dysfunction. As they each grieve the death of Judge's wife and Hank's mother, they throw their anger at the other, and the way that Downey and Duvall play it, you'd really think they were estranged father and son.

'The Judge' Is an Emotionally Raw Depiction of a Father-Son Dynamic

Part of what makes The Judge such a compelling and spirited feature is its commitment to working through both sides of the Hank/Judge issue (even his sons call him "Judge" most of the time) and forcing the two of them to address their longstanding rivalry. Now, this isn't some, "let's wait it out of the happy ending," type of cheesy dramatic sob story that makes you want to hug your own father afterward (though you may still feel that impulse). The Judge is ruthless in its personal attacks on each of the main characters, and refuses to give an inch unless it absolutely has to. And boy, when it does, you really feel it.

The way that Hank and Judge Palmer interact is like watching two alpha wolves fight over scraps. Both Hank and the Judge have a strong, commanding presence that naturally brings others in their orbit into direct submission. In the case of the Judge, we see how his oldest and youngest sons, Glen (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Dale (Jeremy Strong), cower in immediate obedience to their father's whims whenever he erupts. They don't question his authority over their lives, nor do they even think to do so. This runs in stark contrast to Hank, who only ever questions his father's authority, judgment, and love for him as a son. Ironically, Hank (who himself tramples over others) is the only one of the three Palmer boys who was named after a man whom the Judge deeply admired and respected, a local lawyer named Henry Shaw who was the most decent man he'd ever met. The secret truth of The Judge is that Hank is the titular patriarch's favorite son, though he could never bring himself to admit it because of Hank's personal mistakes.

There are a few major moments in this picture that best highlight the weighted struggle between The Judge's leading men. The night of the tornado warning, Hank and his father blow up at each other following the revelation that Judge Palmer may have committed premeditated murder. But it becomes something much more personal than that. Within seconds, these two are screaming at one another over the Judge's failures as a father, with Duvall's character justifying his decision not to honor Hank's achievements due to his messy past. It's a heartbreaking segment that feels just how it looks, highlighted best by the wind beating mercilessly on the Palmer house and both men screaming at the top of their lungs to be heard. There's not a more dramatic scene in the movie.

'The Judge' Has Key Moments of Levity

Other scenes, such as the courtroom revelation of Judge Palmer's cancer diagnosis (possibly Downey's best moment in the film) and the bathroom mishap, highlight this pair's ability to change the tone at a moment's notice. In the latter, Downey and Duvall's characters go from dealing with a serious issue (and fighting each other over it) to laughing together at the threat of Hank's daughter Lauren (Emma Tremblay) opening the door. It's a small touch, but it adds some gaiety to what could otherwise be classified as a "morose" picture (to use the Judge's word). "Speaking to that scene, it starts with incontinence and ends with a knock-knock joke," Downey told Collider in a 2014 interview. "That was our thought for this film. We want it to be entertaining, but we don’t want it to switch gears too often. We want it to mirror how life is, in the midst of this extreme sense of being vulnerable."

But that's not the only deep levity that finds its way into this film. To avoid spoiling the ending, let's just say that the final scene between Hank and the Judge is about everything we could ask for after a tumultuous two hours, and it comes at just the right time. With a stellar cast that also includes Vera Farmiga, Billy Bob Thornton, Dax Shepard, and David Krumholtz, The Judge has been, perhaps unfairly, criticized for its under-use of its supporting characters. While it's true that many of these don't get full, well-rounded character arcs, that's not a bad thing.

In this case, that actually works in director David Dobkin's favor as he seamlessly threads this beautifully complex tapestry that is the relationship between Hank Palmer and his father. Frankly, if The Judge spent any more time on any of the other characters who populate Carlinville, Indiana, it wouldn't have enough left over for the meaty tension and release we enjoy between the film's leading men. We need the entirety of this film to really analyze and comprehend the deep wounds these two have inflicted on each other, especially if we want to see any semblance of healing occur at all.

'The Judge' Shows Off All of Robert Downey Jr.'s Strengths

We mentioned before that Robert Downey Jr.'s work in the MCU, Sherlock Holmes, and a plethora of other big-name/big-budget productions is largely why he's a household name today, but we don't need a continuance to deliberate whether his performance as Hank Palmer is RDJ at his best: it just is. His frustrations with his stone of a father come out in a few different ways here, most certainly in their continued bickering and courtroom antics that ultimately culminate in a powerful moment in which Hank confronts his father on the bench. Downey's cadence throughout the film is that of a man on the edge of his emotional wit's end, and yet he never falls. It's beautiful to watch, and although it's gut-wrenching to see father and son hate each other as clearly as they do, it's the hidden love behind the fumes that Downey perfectly captures.

When speaking of his co-star, Robert Duvall — who himself was at first nervous about accepting his role as Judge Parker — noted that Downey is one of the greats. "You don’t feel that big ‘star’ thing with him, even though he's big - he's like a star from the old days," the actor told HuffPost UK in 2014. Downey certainly has the presence of a classical movie star, and his work here in The Judge proves exactly that. The way Downey presents himself in this picture is raw, engaging, and youthful, and though Duvall himself is a master of his craft (he was nominated for an Oscar), there's no doubt that he deserved an Academy Award nomination (if not a win) for his performance here. Thankfully, he nabbed one this year for Oppenheimer, but his work in The Judge remains his most significant.

The Judge is available to watch on Netflix in the U.S.

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