The Judge is a 2014 legal drama film that takes us through the superior court of Indiana with its filming locations, but the actual shooting was done inside Massachusetts.
With Robert Drowney Jr and Robert Duvall in the lead roles, the film is directed by David Dobkin from the screenplay of Nick Schenk and Bill Dubuque. The movie follows a very personal and close story about the relationship between a defense lawyer and his father.
The film has been recently added to Netflix and viewers are really enjoying it. Though it wasn’t one of the best film of Robert Duvall, it still helped him to earn an Oscar nomination for the Best Supporting Actor in 2015.
Where is The Judge Movie filmed?
The Judge movie sets in the fictional town of Carlinville, Indiana, but the actual shooting was done in Massachusetts, Illinois, and California inside the United States.
As per local press, the shooting for the movie took place in Attleboro, Belmont, Worcester, Dedham, Milton, Sunderland, and Waltham.
Principal shooting of the movie began on May 31, 2013, and wrapped almost nine months later in March 2014.
A first look for the film was released in June 2014, before its original release at the TIFF on Sep 4, 2014 in the same year, and a wider release in the cinemas on Oct 10, 2014.
Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts
Shelburne Falls was the main filming location, where most of the shooting happened. Production team took the advantage of lovely Main Street and charming Bridge of Flowers to depict the rural court settings.
A huge part of the town was covered with new signboards, nameplates, and storefronts that you won’t find anywhere on this Earth. Production camps were setup and the place was transformed into the fictional small town of Carlinville, Indiana.
The diner (Flying Deer Diner) scenes where the Palmer brothers are seen talking and discussing their plans were filmed at the Sam’s diner, an actual bar in Shelburne Falls. Moreover, the exterior town shots, and the bike scenes were also filmed at the same location.
Plymouth, MA
The opening courtroom scene where Hank receives the voicemail about her mother being passed away was shot inside Plymouth District Court. After hearing the voicemail, Hank approaches to Judge Stanley Carter and asks to leave the court on the spot to attend the funeral of her mom.
Moreover, the washroom where Hank and CP went before attending the trial might also be located in the same court. There’s a funny incident where Hank pees on CP.
Attleboro, Massachusetts
According to IMDb, the funeral home scenes were filmed in the Attleboro city. You can literally see the teary eyes of Hank Palmer in the movie.
The city was once known as jewelery capital of the world, not because of the high production of gold, but the large number of jewelry manufacturers.
Like many other towns of Massachusetts, Attleboro was also named after a British town. In this case, the name was taken from a market town in Norfolk, England, United Kingdom.
Dedham, MA
While the district court of Plymouth was utilized by the production team for the shooting of trials, Norfolk County Superior Court was used in the shooting of all the exterior scenes of the court.
This attracted a lot of excited locals and fans of Iron Man, who wanted to see their fav hero working on the set. You might even catch some funny moments in behind the scenes photographs shared by the cast on social media.
There’s a scene where Hank and CP are seen vomitting outside of a court due to the extreme pressure of Joseph’s trial. That scene was also shot outside of this court.
Milton, Massachusetts
As per Boston Globe, the cast and crew take over an actual family home in Milton city and transform it into judge’s house or Palmer family home.
The unique part is, the original family was living in the house during the shooting. Production team decorated the interiors of the house with some serious stuff to make it more emotional and touching.
Ipswich, Massachusetts
The outdoor scenes of the judge’s house were captured in this coastal town.
Worcester, Massachusetts
Some scenes of the movie were also filmed in Worcester including, an airport scene, featuring the Worcester Regional Airport.
Jackson Country, Indiana
Though the whole film sets in Indiana, the only scene that happened in the area pass through corn fields. You can see a car driving through corn fields in some of the establishing shots. Those scenes were taken in Jackson Country of Indiana.
Burbank, California
Stage 29 of Warner Brothers Burbank Studios, located at 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank was used to shoot some interior scenes of the movie.
Chicago, Illinois
As soon as the movie begins, you can see an aerial view of a bustling city, filled with office buildings, trade towers, and industrial skyscrapers.
Those aerial scenes were shot inside Chicago. This location was used to depict the places where Hank was living and working before returning to his hometown. Additionally, Hank’s family house, where he lived along with his wife was also recreated in Chicago.
Who’s in the cast of The Judge?
The cast of the Judge includes:
- Robert Downey Jr. (Sweet Tooth) as Henry Palmer, aka Hank, a high-powered defense attorney
- Robert Duvall (The Pale Blue Eye) as Joseph Palmer, aka The Judge, Hank’s father and a judge
- Vera Farmiga as Samantha Powell, aka Sam, Hank’s high school sweetheart
- Billy Bob Thornton (The Gray Man) as Dwight Dickham, the prosecutor
- Vincent D’Onofrio (Lift) as Glen Palmer, Hank’s older brother
- Dax Shepard (The Ranch) as C.P. Kennedy, Joseph’s attorney
- Jeremy Strong (Succession) as Dale Palmer, Hank’s younger brother
- Emma Tremblay (Supergirl) as Lauren Palmer, Hank’s daughter
- Leighton Meester (River Wild) as Carla Powell, Sam’s daughter
- Mark Kiely (24) as Mark Blackwell, a man Joseph convicted of murder
What is the movie about?
The Judge movie follows an emotional story of a successful defense attorney named Hank Palmer, as he returns to his childhood home where his father, the judge is suspected of murder. Hank’s mother has been already died and his father has become a victim of a false murder. To save his dad’s reputation, Hank decides to fight the case and represent the judge in the supreme court.
Where to watch The Judge?
The Judge movie was released on Netflix on 7th of May 2024, and is currently available for streaming on the platform.
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