It was great to have a chance to see this year’s opening gala presentation of The Judge, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall and a stellar supporting cast. It tells the story of a hotshot criminal lawyer (Downey) who returns to his small rural home town where he finds himself defending his estranged father (Duvall), a local judge, against a murder charge. The film is being touted as going back to the way films used to be, an honest drama where who is good and who is bad is never really clear. We need to be honest about this movie. It’s really a very Hollywood movie with mega stars and excellent cinematography but the story is not particularly strong and it has but a tear jerky happy ending. That said, the acting is stunning. Duvall and Downey drive each other to ever higher heights and the supporting cast is brilliant. There are some great scenes, my favourite being one in which the jury selection is done, and will be well worth your money when it is released this fall. Also there is little doubt that there will be some Oscar nominations coming for this cast. Go here for the official description and to see a trailer: http://www.tiff.net/festivals/thefestival/programmes/galapresentations/the-judge