The Judge

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2:14

The Judge

R

2014

2h 21m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

49%

Tomatometer

197 Reviews

72%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Hank Palmer (Robert Downey Jr.), a brilliant but shady attorney, returns to his Indiana hometown after learning that his mother has passed away. His arrival triggers renewed tension between himself and his father, Judge Joseph Palmer (Robert Duvall), who makes no secret of his disapproval of Hank's morally ambiguous career. As the lawyer prepares to depart, his father is arrested for a hit-and-run death. Hank takes on his father's defense, despite the objections of the resentful old man.

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Critics Consensus

Solidly cast and beautifully filmed but thoroughly clichéd, The Judge seems destined to preside over a large jurisdiction of the basic cable afternoon-viewing circuit.

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Donald Clarke

Irish Times

Oct 20, 2014

2/5

Objection! Meretricious sentimentality! Objection! Badgering the audience! Where is this leading, your honour?

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Mark Kermode

Observer (UK)

Oct 19, 2014

3/5

As the verdict draws closer, the sentimental silliness and courtroom cliches pile up ...

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Kate Muir

The Times (UK)

Oct 17, 2014

2/5

Unfortunately, when Downey is not centre-stage the drama becomes leaden, sentimental and utterly improbable.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Feb 24, 2026

2/4

It's packed with so much empty incident and superfluous drama that, when it’s over, you’ll swear you just watched a television miniseries over three nights rather than a theatrical release in one sitting.

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Ankit Ojha

Cinema Elite

Jul 9, 2024

3.5/5

[...] as predictable as it sounds, “The Judge” is anything but that. The film might be a family drama, but it’s refreshingly adult [...] and filled with surprising emotional honesty.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Jul 18, 2022

2.5/4

The familiarity of the story hurts what is Dobkin's otherwise pleasantly sincere and straightforward direction, and a number of fine performances.

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COS M

@CosMovies Sep 10, 2026

A beautiful, layered family story about father-son-brothers relationships about responsibility, accountability, resentment, betrayal, redemption and love disguised as a courtroom drama. Smart dialogue, superior acting, beautiful cinematography and exquisite music from Thomas Newman. A masterpiece.

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Will E

@RT05307754 Aug 18, 2026

One of the greatest movies I’ve ever seen. The way they emotional draw you into the relationship between father son. And how that relationship turns from one end of the spectrum to the other.

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Chris B

@Papa13070 Jun 1, 2026

This is a very powerful movie that uses the circumstances of a young successful lawyer's alienation from his father as the foundation to tell a powerful story about family life and struggles, parental alienation, small town life and more. Robert Downey Jr. Plays the big city lawyer that comes to his home town, after the death of his mother, to then be dragged into representing his father in defense of a manslaughter case. The performance by Robert Duvall is among his best. Downey Jr., Vincent D'onofrio, Billy Bob Thornton, and Vera Farmiga are incredibly good. Great music by Thomas Newman.

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Shon O

@RT99190986 May 22, 2026

זה סרט טוב שחקנים מעולים ומשחקים טוב ואני לא יודע למה נתנו לזה ציון כלכך נמוך.לדעתי שווה מאוד את זמנכם לצפייה.עכשיו.

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bob C

@RT46426964 May 5, 2026

Great weepie movie with exceptional Hollywood ending involving redemption. Plenty of it.

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Danny L

@Dman2 Feb 16, 2026

This is a fantastic movie. A Duvall classic. I really don’t understand the bad reviews.

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David Dobkin

Director

Robert Downey Jr.

Hank Palmer

Robert Duvall

Judge Joseph Palmer

Vera Farmiga

Samantha Powell

Billy Bob Thornton

Dwight Dickham

Vincent D'Onofrio

Glen Palmer

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The Judge: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Hank Palmer (Robert Downey Jr.), a brilliant but shady attorney, returns to his Indiana hometown after learning that his mother has passed away. His arrival triggers renewed tension between himself and his father, Judge Joseph Palmer (Robert Duvall), who makes no secret of his disapproval of Hank's morally ambiguous career. As the lawyer prepares to depart, his father is arrested for a hit-and-run death. Hank takes on his father's defense, despite the objections of the resentful old man.

Director: David Dobkin
Producer: Susan Downey, David Dobkin, David Gambino
Screenwriter: Nick Schenk, Bill Dubuque
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Big Kid Pictures, Team Downey
Rating: R (Some Sexual References|Language)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 10, 2014, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 5, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.7M
Runtime: 2h 21m
Sound Mix: Datasat, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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