Le Juge (1984) - film review

Juge Muller is determined to bring suspected drugs baron Antoine Rocca to account.  When Rocca is arrested for possession of firearms, Muller cancels his leave and sets about gathering the evidence to support a cast-iron prosecution.  But Rocca is a very dangerous man to deal with...

Le Juge is a typical 1980s detective thriller which bears some striking similarities with Yves Boisset’s 1977 film Le Juge Fayard dit le shérif.  However, the latter is certainly the better film, for several reasons.

Despite some creditable acting performances (particularly from Perrin and Bohringer) Le Juge is strangely lacking in tension and momentum.  The middle section of the film is heavily bogged down in the minutiae of the police investigation, introducing a plethora of minor characters.  Perin himself fails to come across as a sympathetic character, appearing as a dispassionate thug in many scenes, undermining the entire premise of the film.

This is not to say that this is necessarily a bad film.  It does have a strong narrative which is generally well executed, with some entertaining stunts.  However, it could probably have had greater impact if the director had chosen to develop the characterisation instead of diverting so much attention to the action.

© James Travers 2000

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