David Dobkin’s ‘The Judge’ (2014) left a lasting impression on me.

When you think about its plot, there’s not much there that makes you think I haven’t seen this before:

“ Big city lawyer Hank Palmer returns to his childhood home where his father, the town's judge, is suspected of murder. Hank sets out to discover the truth and, along the way, reconnects with his estranged family ”

Father-Son stories are everywhere, exploring the sort of anti-Oedipus relationships boys have with their fathers. It can be literal, from the classics such as ‘The Bicycle Thief’ (1948), to the more contemporary ‘Big Fish’ (2003). It can also be non-biological such as Marty and the Doc from ‘Back to The Future’ (1985), to all-out dysfunctional families in Wes Anderson’s ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ 2001.

However, there was something distinctly crisp about the relationship between these two men.

Robert Downey Jr plays Hank Palmer, a successful and wealthy lawyer, son of the highly esteemed Judge Palmer (Robert Duvall); a more local and old-fashioned man.

With the death of Hank’s Mother he is forced to return home to be there for her funeral. Returning to his roots, he leaves the glamour of Chicago behind for the quiet and remote small town Indiana. It is at this point that Hank, who we discover to be the more successful of two other brothers, is revealed to be a ‘black sheep’. He must face up to his stern father and uncomfortably look him in the eye, as Hank’s short stay at the family home reveals some very dark demons in the closet. Hank, needless to say, finds himself staying longer than he expected.

The crucial foundation here for me was the acting. This could have been yet another father-son drama, but it was heightened, separated from others by the surprisingly excellent performances. Used to RDJr as Marvel’s Tony Stark, I’ve gotten used to the cocky-arrogant philanthropist behind Iron Man. So much so, that I began to think that’s all RDJr was – cocky and arrogant. Is he acting? Or is he really a douche? The film corrected that presumption and showed me a vulnerable, emotional and determined Downey Jr. Someone who was real – and had real problems, like you and me – not some superhero make-believe who has more money than sense (seriously, even with all that cash T Stark still goes for Gwyneth Paltrow?!).

I wouldn’t consider my relationship with my Father to be estranged. We’re actually very close, despite living separate lives when my parents divorced aged seven years old. He shows me affection, but in a very manly way. I’m not a particularly butch person. I don’t believe men shouldn’t cry, or that they should make a living with their hands. Nor does my Father, yet he’s somewhat stuck in the traditions that his father taught him through a cold and bitter relationship. This film certainly discussed the all-too familiar concept of manly relationships, and broke them down to find a much softer and more acceptable core.

I don’t want to spoil the plot for you, so won’t go into the reasons as to why their relationship is that way and what happens to it by the end of the movie. What I will say though is that this film holds back no punches – life is no fairytale, it screams! Things don’t always work out, that’s life! Of course, this isn’t a misery-fest: the film does have some incredibly touching moments and happy turns.

For me it highlighted something we consider to be old-fashioned, yet something that blatantly remains in our society today. It’s a film about opening closed doors, re-surfacing things we’ve suppressed and coming to terms with them. Whether you’re close to your father or not, this film will reach out to you and find ways of telling you why it is that way. It will talk to you, it will understand you and it will leave you feeling somewhat better - or more accurately, at peace with your Dad.

The Judge is available now on DVD.