R W
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Joined: 23/6/2006
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As the most iconic figure of the British science fiction anthology 2000 AD, Judge Dredd made his debut on the big screen very poorly in 1995, by Danny Cannon (director of I Still Know What You Did Last Summer) and Sylvester Stallone who in the eponymous role, took the helmet off, which distraught many fans. Seventeen years later, the violent law enforcer gets a fine revival with New Zealand’s Karl Urban as Dredd 2.0, with added non-helmet removal.
In the violent futuristic Mega City One, Dredd is assigned to train and evaluate Cassandra Anderson (Olivia Thirlby), a rookie with powerful psychic abilities due to a genetic mutation. Investigating a triple homicide, the two judges get trapped within a 200-story vertical slum controlled by prostitute-turned-drug lord, Ma-Ma (Lena Headey) and her ruthless clan. The only way out, is up!
As the synopsis suggests, it is a classic story of a cop and his rookie partner being trapped in an action-packed situation. Despite that, the simplicity of the film’s narrative is one of its strengths as Alex Garland’s script, which understands its source material, pulls some dark and surreal sequences, with the inclusion of the drug “Slo-Mo” which alters the judgement of time, to a really twisted psychic interrogation within the mind.
With a large city block being the central set-piece with the two judges trying to get out, audiences will get a sense of deja-vu if they have seen Gareth Evans’ Indonesian action film The Raid. Not to say that Dredd’s filmmakers ripped off the story of The Raid, but it is unfortunate that both films were released in the same year. Whilst there is no action sequence here to rival the choreography of Evans’ actioner, director Pete Travis pushes the film’s 18-certificate, with its moments of mega-violence, such as cheeks being shot off and a head being completely melted.
On a design level, the depiction of Mega City One and its technology is very different from the chunk-nology of Danny Cannon’s version. Filmed in Cape Town, South Africa, the dystopian metropolis is given a recognisable look, in the same way that Christopher Nolan depicted Gotham City in his Dark Knight trilogy. Although I felt the 3D didn’t support the imagery, cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle do some beautiful but disorienting shots, particularly the use of “Slo-Mo”, which includes high and glowing colouring.
After Stallone’s performance as the eponymous judge, jury and executioner which made him too heroic and constantly saying, in a Stallone impression: “I knew you’d say that”, Karl Urban successfully captures the character’s menacing persona, achieving much more than his predecessor, even acting all the way through with his helmet on. As the eponymous protagonist who sees the world in black and white, the New Zealander presents that aspect of Dredd whose actions could be seen as fascistic, but also understanding his rightful position as the law.
Siding with Urban’s raspy voiced Dredd, Olivia Thirlby is very likable as the rookie Anderson, who is stepping into the boots of a judge, and the consequences that come out of it, as well as being quite the bad-ass with her psychic abilities. On the side of the villains, we have some fine edgy supporting performances from Lena Headey’s chief scar-faced antagonist, The Wire’s Wood Harris and Domhnall Gleeson as the strangely-eyed techie. I imagine many fans would want to see Judge Death as the next baddie in the sequels.
If you are a fan of the comics, you will praise its dark and surreal presentation and Karl Urban who has a better grasp of 2000 AD’s law enforcer; if not, you will enjoy its reminiscent of the classic violent 80s-styled action pics. Please let there be a sequel!
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3-D Is WANK (Avatar aside) - 
;)
. I'm suprise by the response the film seems to be getting, %100 on RT with some very high praise indeed !
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