When a hotshot lawyer returns to his hometown to attend his mother’s funeral, he ends up staying indefinitely after his father, a criminal court judge, is charged with the murder of a former defendant. The 2014 legal drama The Judge, directed by David Dobkin (Into the Badlands, Wedding Crashers), stars Robert Downey Jr., Robert Duvall, Vincent D’Onofrio, Jeremy Strong, and Billy Bob Thornton. For his supporting role as Judge Joseph Palmer, Duvall earned Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.
Robert Downey Jr., Vincent D’Onofrio, Jeremy Strong, and Robert Duvall in The Judge
Robert Downey Jr. and Vincent D’Onofrio in The Judge
Hank (Downey Jr.) is a down-and-out defense lawyer and soon-to-be divorcé who’s just found out his mom passed away. So he heads to his hometown of Carlinville, Indiana, for the funeral and some tense moments with his estranged father, criminal court judge Joseph Palmer (Duvall) — aka The Judge. By the time Hank’s bursting at the seams to head back to his life in Chicago, he learns that his father, a revered civil servant, is a suspect in a fatal hit-and-run — and the victim is someone The Judge had previously sentenced to 20 years in prison. As Hank contends with his complicated feelings toward his father, he reconnects with a former flame, Samantha (Farmiga), and tries to make peace with his turbulent past.
No, the film isn’t based on a book. The screenplay was written by Dobkin, Nick Schenk (Gran Torino), and Bill Dubuque (Ozark).
Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall in The Judge
No, it’s fictional.
The film is set in the fictional small town of Carlinville, Indiana.
It was filmed in the Massachusetts towns of Shelburne Falls, Sunderland, Plymouth, Dedham, and Attleboro.
Just before Hank heads back to Chicago, his father, Joseph, is charged with the second-degree murder of a man named Mark Blackwell (Kiely). Some time ago, Blackwell killed his girlfriend after Joseph initially gave him a light sentence — and Joseph hated him for it.
After realizing his father’s defense attorney, C.P. (Shepard), is a bumbling liability — especially against a shark of a prosecutor, Dwight (Thornton) — Hank elects to represent his father pro bono. But the two immediately come to blows: Hank maintains his father should lean on the fact that he’s undergoing chemotherapy and wasn’t in his right mind at the time of the accident, but Joseph refuses. He thinks it’ll delegitimize every case he’s tried since receiving his diagnosis a year ago — plus, Joseph doesn’t want anyone to know that he has terminal cancer. His concern over his legacy as the town judge causes him to repeatedly clash with Hank, who thinks his father’s sense of honor could cause him to be charged as guilty.
As the proceedings shape up, Hank’s young daughter, Lauren (Tremblay), comes to town and meets her grandfather for the first time. While Hank puts Lauren to bed one night at Joseph’s house, she sees lots of trophies and asks her dad about them. Hank tells her that he and his older brother, Glen (D’Onofrio), got into a bad car accident when they were young — due to Hank’s drinking, which is revealed later. The crash ruined Glen’s chances at an MLB career and destroyed Hank’s relationship with his father. Joseph later reveals on the witness stand that he equates the younger Hank with Mark Blackwell, in that they each didn’t learn from their punishments — which points to a possible motive for Joseph if he did intentionally kill Mark.
Over the course of the trial, and as Joseph’s condition begins to worsen, Joseph and Hank bond more and more. Back in court, Hank forces Joseph to admit that he’s been undergoing chemo for the last year, which may have caused him to forget the night in question. After an emotional day in court, Hank spends time with his former flame, Sam (Farmiga) and finds out that his brother Glen is the real father of her daughter, Carla (Meester), who Hank made out with shortly after arriving in town — not realizing she was Sam’s child.
When it’s time for Joseph’s sentencing, the jury finds him guilty of a lesser charge, voluntary manslaughter. Based on the evidence against Joseph, like blood on the car and his confessed hatred of Mark Blackwell, getting off scot-free just wasn’t in the cards. Joseph is sentenced to four years in prison, but gets out earlier for compassionate release. Hank, who left town after the sentencing, returns to pick up his father from jail. The once-estranged father and son go fishing together, sharing heartfelt moments before Joseph passes away peacefully in the boat. As the film ends, Hank visits the Carlinville courthouse and contemplates a new career as the town’s judge.
The film leaves the answer to this question open-ended. The chemotherapy side effects may be the reason Joseph can’t remember any details about the night he hit Mark Blackwell, but his private loathing for the former convict — and Dwight’s damning evidence — may indicate a motive.
