What It's About: The film The Judge centers around a cosmopolitan yuppie lawyer, Henry "Hank" Palmer (played by Robert Downey Jr), who reluctantly returns to his rural hometown in Indiana after a long estrangement, only to learn that his father (Robert Duvall), the town's respected judge, has been charged with murder. Despite their uneasy relationship, he finds himself defending his father in court against a prosecutor who is determined to see him behind bars. Why You Should Be Excited: This film has an incredible cast. We love Robert Downey Jr to death, but we're not going to pretend that we're not pumped that he's going to be playing a character that isn't just essentially a more wealthy version of himself. He's a very talented actor, and it's always fun to watch him throw his weight around. Robert Duvall is thoroughly dependable when it comes to morally ambiguous father figures, so he'll be right at home here. And as the prosecutor, Billy Bob Thorton will have a perfect opportunity to utilize his skills as a professional smarmy jerk. And those are just the leads -- we've also got the always stellar Vera Farmiga and Vincent D'Onofrio in supporting roles.
Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.
