The fantastic best-selling crime thriller by Gillian Flynn has been adapted into a gripping film. If you weren’t one of the millions who devoured the book, here’s a (very) brief outline: Nick meets Amy, the woman of his dreams, they get married and everything is hunky dory, for the most part. Then, on their fifth anniversary, Amy vanishes with very little trace. Now the search is on, Nick is the prime suspect and their entire relationship is about to be prised open by the ensuing investigation.

If that piques your interest, stop reading, avoid all trailers and just come see it. The less you know, the better.

Directed by David Fincher, the master of methodical procedural thrillers such as Se7en, Zodiac and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo remake, this latest holds its own against previous entries. Ben Affleck takes time out of the director’s chair to give a solid performance as our protagonist Nick, while former Bond girl Rosamund Pike is leagues away from her earlier roles as the enigmatic Amy.

It’s a story about relationships, family dynamics and a scathing commentary on the media circuses surrounding tragedy. One not to miss; it’s sure to be the film everyone’s talking about.

Tom Hagen (from The Godfather) has gotten a promotion from his lawyer days to become the titula judge – Judge Joseph Palmer (Duvall) in this movie. It is also good to see Robert Downey Jr. out of his mechanical armour – all I recall lately is him in Iron Man costumes.

In The Judge, Hank Palmer (Downey Jr.), a successful big city lawyer returns to his small town home for his mother’s funeral. Upon his return, he finds out that his estranged father – the aforementioned town’s judge – is the only suspect in a murder investigation. Judge Palmer also suffers from Alzheimer’s disease.

Hank sets out to discover the truth and looks into the matter himself. Along the way, he has to balance years of estrangement and emotional distance from the family that he left behind years before. In his attempt to solve the mystery, he rekindles the bond with his family and this leads him closer to the truth.

Vera Farmiga plays the female lead Samantha. She is a waitress who has never left her small town life, and has a history with Hank.

With a stellar cast including Leighton Meester, Billy Bob Thornton, Vincent D’Onofrio, Melissa Leo, David Krumholtz and Sarah Lancaster, you will definitely not be disappointed.

The judge’s ruling is this: head over to Coombs and watch the movie. *gavel pounds*