The Judge
A sharp Chicago defense attorney returns to his Indiana hometown and must defend the estranged judge who raised him.
Overview
A son returns home to confront his past and defend his father in a gripping courtroom battle.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- emotionally charged
- melodramatic
- witty
- reflective evening
- family drama night
What critics said
Critics broadly agreed that the strong cast and polished filmmaking could not overcome the film's clichéd, overlong, and emotionally manipulative courtroom-family drama.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Hank's defense of his father gradually reveals the secrets and resentments binding the Palmer family together.
Hank returns home with a brittle relationship to Joseph and must confront their long-standing personal and professional grievances.
The Palmer family's legal and emotional crisis unfolds after Hank returns to his Indiana childhood home and faces its tight-knit social world.
The film emphasizes showy performances, emotional fireworks, and carefully crafted dramatic confrontations in a conventional awards-oriented register.
Films like The Judge, and why
A Few Good Men
shared courtroom drama, parent child conflict, and emotionally direct family reconciliation
On Golden Pond
shared small-town family dysfunction, aging parent child relationships, and tearful dramatic confrontations
Primal Fear
shared legal mystery, moral ambiguity, and a defense attorney uncovering difficult truths
Movie Details
- Director
- David Dobkin
- Release Date
- 2014-10-08
- Runtime
- 141 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (4560)
Cast
- Robert Downey Jr.
- Robert Duvall
- Vera Farmiga
- Vincent D'Onofrio
- Jeremy Strong
- Dax Shepard
- Billy Bob Thornton
- Leighton Meester
- Ken Howard
- Emma Tremblay
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Cinemax Amazon Channel, Cinemax Apple TV channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Judge about?
- A sharp Chicago defense attorney returns to his Indiana hometown and must defend the estranged judge who raised him.
- What is The Judge like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Judge as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Judge violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Judge as mild.
- What did critics think of The Judge?
- Critics broadly agreed that the strong cast and polished filmmaking could not overcome the film's clichéd, overlong, and emotionally manipulative courtroom-family drama.
- Which films are like The Judge?
- Films with a similar feel include A Few Good Men, On Golden Pond, and Primal Fear.
- How long is The Judge?
- The Judge runs 141 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Judge?
- In United States, The Judge streams on Cinemax Amazon Channel, Cinemax Apple TV channel.
