Before he became Iron Man and the mega-star that the Marvel universe has made him, Robert Downey Jr. was a darling of the indie circuit, doing some excellent work in smaller films. He even has an Oscar nomination for playing Charlie Chaplin in the 1992 biopic Chaplin. So it was a little disappointing for fans of his earlier work when he was only indulging in bigger non-dramatic parts since 2008 (Let’s all forget about The Soloist, shall we?).
Therefore, it was a pleasant surprise to watch the trailer of his upcoming drama, The Judge. While it may be a typical family drama of struggles and reconciliation directed by a man known for loud comedies (David Dobkin of Wedding Crashers and The Change-Up fame), the movie has a heartfelt trailer and boasts an excellent cast besides RDJ: Robert Duvall, Vera Farmiga, Vincent D’Onofrio and Billy Bob Thornton. Watch the trailer and appreciate how good an actor RDJ can be.
