Review by dbdumonteil

Based on an event which was widely talked about in France at the time,"Le Juge" ,as lines warn the audience before the cast and credits ,is not really the story of THAT judge,even though it was obviously inspired by this news item.

A courageous judge tries to dismantle a drug traffickers ring."You're bound to fail,he is told,because you are alone".This judge has nothing of a superman,a super cop who overnight becomes able to wield a machine gun or to pilot a plane .In all his investigations,the character remains credible .Jacques Perrin gives a restrained performance,sparing of gestures and he shows humanity even towards the convicts.

The movie was a commercial failure and it's easy to see why: it 's not an action-packed screenplay ,there is no love story (the hero is married and has a family but the only sign is a postcard the daughter sent to him),nothing "commercial" .That's why it has aged well.