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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Calendar: Monday, Oct. 27 Shasta-area natives bring fight for salmon to Ashland Underdog Christofferson holds out hope of upsetting Walden Calendar: Saturday, Oct. 25 Helman students illustrate kindness, love Education Helman students illustrate kindness, love SOU's 'Count Me In' campaign raises $210,000 Fun, fundraising and art at Helman Elementary School Ashland mourns death of former coach Stan Gida Goal not reached, but don't count out 'Count Me In' yet Environment Rite Aid cub well, could come back to southern Oregon Report: Smaller streams need further protection Bear cub wanders into Rite Aid Kalmiopsis' future at stake if mining goes forward Fires and forests evolved together, but now people are in the mix Business Newly renovated Ashland Hills hosts open house Hot Stuff Espresso Blue Toba erupts onto dining scene Interim president leads in a different direction Silvio Calabi: Acura’s 2015 TLX is two cars in one Politics and elections Underdog Christofferson holds out hope of upsetting Walden Aquatics backer announces write-in candidacy for Parks & Rec board Richardson accuses Kitzhaber of 'corruption' in final debate Stricker steps down from Talent council Merkley-Wehby to debate in Medford State News Nation - World Obituaries Ronald J. 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Calendar: Saturday, Oct. 25 ... Our View: Fix the 'free speech zone' ... Calendar: Monday, Oct. 27 ... Calendar: Saturday, Oct. 25 ... Our View: Fix the 'free speech zone' ... Movie review: 'The Judge' doesn't know when to end DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Oct. 10, 2014 @ 12:01 am Posted Oct. 10, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Social News By Ed Symkus More Content Now By the time big-city lawyer Hank Palmer admits, out loud, “I’m not a pleasant person,” halfway through “The Judge,” we’re already well aware of that. Played in a slightly clipped manner, but otherwise close to perfection, by Robert Downey Jr., Hank is a self-absorbed jerk who turned his back on his family and hometown years before, and since developed a reputation for being very good at his job, which many people refer to as “winning cases of people that are guilty.” But now Hank has returned to his quaint little Indiana town to attend his mother’s funeral. This also means that he must deal with his physically damaged older brother Glen (Vincent D’Onofrio), his emotionally damaged younger brother Dale (Jeremy Strong), and, oh, yeah, his dad, Judge Joseph Palmer (Robert Duvall), who is also not a pleasant person. But he’d never admit it. Judge Palmer is a tough, strict, man, at home and in his courtroom, which he proudly calls “one of the last great cathedrals in this country.” Duvall nails the part. There’s no love lost between the judge and Hank. Hank casually mentions that though he’s in town because of his mom’s death, his dad is long dead ... to him. The judge has been angry at Hank for years because he’s the one who got away, who left everyone else behind. The film is equally about the relationship between both men. But it doesn’t take long for the story to shift more toward the judge. That’s because he quickly ends up in the middle of what at first looks like an accident, but eventually turns into a murder charge. A bad man has been killed, struck by a car on a lonely road late at night. A complicated back story reveals that the dead man is someone the judge once let off, but probably shouldn’t have, and now his blood is on the judge’s car, one that he was driving down that lonely road late at night. More complications ensue. The judge is not unfamiliar with bouts of heavy duty drinking. Was he, as Hank believes, driving drunk that fateful night when the man was hit? The judge says absolutely not, that he’s a “recovered alcoholic,” and that he just can’t remember what happened. He might, however – and he certainly won’t admit this to anyone – be suffering from temporary memory loss due to chemo brain. Yes, the script even veers off into a cancer side plot. It eventually settles down into a story of the judge needing a good lawyer. But he refuses his son’s help – he really doesn’t like Hank – opting instead to go with the local, inexperienced attorney C.P. Kennedy (Dax Shepard), who is so green, he regularly (and comically) vomits whenever he’s headed to the courtroom. All it takes for Hank to be allowed on the team is the appearance of take-no-prisoners prosecutor Dwight Dickham (Billy Bob Thornton). That’s when the fireworks begin. That’s also about the time when the film becomes overloaded with emotional overkill. There are too many personal situations going on, in and out of the courtroom. There’s a neat little story of Sam (Vera Farmiga), the sassy waitress and one-time girlfriend of Hank, who is still slinging dishes of hash, and might still have a thing for Hank. That would have made a good movie on its own, but it doesn’t go anywhere here. Even the drama between father and son starts to get in the way of things. Running at a lengthy 141 minutes, “The Judge” is well acted, has a good central story, and keeps you wondering where it’s going. But in due course it suffers from Peter Jackson-itis. Fans (and non-fans) of “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” will recall that it had eight endings. I didn’t keep accurate count, but I’m pretty sure “The Judge” has nine. Ed Symkus covers movies for More Content Now. THE JUDGE Written by Nick Schenk and Bill Dubuque; directed by David Dobkin With Robert Downey Jr., Robert Duvall, Vera Farmiga, Billy Bob Thornton Rated R DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Oct. 10, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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