Robert Downey Jr. plays just a metaphorically-superpowered lawyer in ‘The Judge’ trailer

The trailer for the Robert Downey Jr. produced drama The Judge has landed online, heralded by RDJ in a Tweet as “the kind of movie I grew up wanting to make.”

He stars as a ruthless defence attorney who must save his estranged father, an idealistic judge, from a murder charge. Twist!

David Dobkin, of Wedding Crashers and… Fred Claus fame, directs, bizarrely.

The whole thing looks pretty maudlin (and a script from the writer of Gran Torino inspires pure terror), but the promise of the cast is undeniable; not just RDJ and Duvall, but also Vera Farmiga, Billy Bob Thornton, Melissa Leo and Denis O’Hare.

The picture arrives in cinemas October 9, just in time for Oscar consideration.