Stepping out of his Iron Man suit, Robert Down­­ey Jr. displays some dramatic acting skills in the 141 minute, rated R drama The Judge. Alongside fellow Golden Globe winner Robert Duvall, these celebrated actors inadvertently hold the film together with their acting skills.

Downey plays big city lawyer Henry “Hank” Palmer, falling easily into the role of the rude hotshot, not unlike Tony Stark. Upon returning to his hometown, Palmer learns his estranged father, played by Duvall, appears guilty of murder. Digging into the case, a father and son’s “dead-to-me” atmosphere provides a dramatic spine to top-shelf performances with Henry’s history full of regrets.

The fairly standard and stereotypical plotline works for a film less about courtroom technicalities and more about emotions that govern relationships. Duvall and Downey’s acting carries this thoughtful but not particularly innovative film to a remarkable level. The film provides a mix of tears and laughter, with Downey’s typical humor shining through a character well-suited for him. Downey uses his same charm, proving the saving grace with a brilliant performance in an overall average film. Duvall brings back the power and emotion that made him one of the greatest big screen legends of all time. On screen the audience feels his anger, pain, and sorrow; a rare gift that only an actor of his caliber could achieve.

At two hours and 21 minutes, a film of that length can drag on, but all of those minutes are filled with meaningful plot. Sadly, secondary characters are thrown around as plot devices, sacrificing their development for more minute time for the star actors.  Palmer’s brothers and lover had promise as deep characters, but were left underdeveloped. Instead of serving as important characters themselves, they lacked autonomy. They remain “Hank’s brothers” and “Hank’s lover” rather than Dale, Glen, and Samantha.

Multiple interesting story arcs get left annoyingly unconcluded, apparently not important enough to wrap up, leaving audiences wishing for closure. Perhaps those arcs only served to allow more plot in a movie merely focusing on a father and son relationship with a murder mystery hit-and-run twist mixed in the middle. Even with a loose plot, the film contains plenty of emotional and dramatic power. Leaving the theatre in tears, the underdevelopment of characters and uninteresting secondary characters became unnoticeable. Downey and Duvall’s acting distracts from those glaring negatives.

The Chant’s grade: B+