Big-city lawyer Hank Palmer returns to his childhood home where his father, the town's judge, is suspected of murder. Hank sets out to discover the truth; along the way he reconnects with hi... Read allBig-city lawyer Hank Palmer returns to his childhood home where his father, the town's judge, is suspected of murder. Hank sets out to discover the truth; along the way he reconnects with his estranged family.Big-city lawyer Hank Palmer returns to his childhood home where his father, the town's judge, is suspected of murder. Hank sets out to discover the truth; along the way he reconnects with his estranged family.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 3 wins & 9 nominations total
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaSomeone rhetorically mentions Atticus Finch, a reference to To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), which was Robert Duvall's screen debut, playing Arthur "Boo" Radley.
- GoofsWhen Hank asks the Judge on the stand, "What would happen to all the cases you've presided over in the last six months if it were determined that your mental actuality were diminished?" The word that Hand was looking for was, "acuity." Actuality means the actual existence, where acuity means sharpness or keenness of thought.
- Quotes
Hank Palmer: Everyone wants Atticus Finch until there's a dead hooker in a bathtub.
[Note: Atticus Finch is the lawyer in "To Kill a Mockingbird."]
- SoundtracksWell Sweep Out The Ashes (In The Morning)
Written by Joyce Allsup
Performed by Gram Parsons
Courtesy of Reprise Records
By arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing
Robert Downey, Jr. plays Duvall's estranged son, a very successful Chicago criminal attorney who gets a call from his brother Vincent D'Onofrio that their mother has just passed on. Right in mid trial he gets a postponement and flies to the small Indiana town where he grew up to be with his brothers and dad.
While still in mourning a man is run down by a car identified as Duvall's and he's arrested. Turns out to be a man he gave a break to in his court who came back and pulled a horrible crime. He'll need a good lawyer, but Duvall won't make the obvious choice.
There's a whole lot issues separating Duvall and Downey making a gulf as wide as the Pacific Ocean. As he proudly points out Downey commands some big fees in Chicago. My favorite scene in the film is Duvall insisting that local attorney Dax Sheppard be his lawyer. Sheppard is a part time lawyer and a full time antique dealer who got his law degree at a school Valparaiso, Chile, good old Valpo as he calls it. Downey is beside himself at this guy's incompetence.
Grace Zabriskie has a short but memorable performance as the mother of the man who was killed. Years of rage and hate come out at Duvall. As Downey points out when you're a town judge like that for 35 years you will make rulings and have a lot of people you ruled against hate you. In fact as we meet Duvall there's a great example of that when he orders this redneck deadbeat to cough up child support by giving title to his brand new truck over to his esteemed wife so she can sell it. In that world that's like ordering castration. You will make enemies with decisions like that. It kind of makes you wonder about all those old Andy Hardy movies where Lewis Stone was beloved by all in Carvel.
Downey and Duvall have a special dynamic working in The Judge. Their last scene together is exponentially poignant.
A whole lot of family dirt is exposed when the rug is lifted in The Judge. For fans of both Downey and Duvall this is a must.
- bkoganbing
- Apr 18, 2015
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Ngài Thẩm Phán
- Filming locations
- Plymouth County Courthouse, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA(Opening Courtroom Scene)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $50,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $47,119,388
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $13,116,226
- Oct 12, 2014
- Gross worldwide
- $84,419,388
- Runtime2 hours 21 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1