Dredd (2012)

Dredd (2012)

8/10

Starring

Karl Urban

Olivia Thirlby

Wood Harris

Lena Headey

Directed by Pete Travis

When a movie depicts a guy running around like Terminator, I usually get turned off. But Dredd and his partner made this Terminator-and-compadre setup worth seeing and admiring. The movie starts strong, dark, and gritty, and it maintains that feel from start to finish — with performances worth seeing again.

Judge Dredd has been a comic icon for a long time. The fictional character’s comic strip in the British sci-fi anthology 2000 AD is the magazine’s longest-running, since 1977.

Dredd is an American law enforcement officer in a violent city of the future, where uniformed Judges combine the powers of police, judge, jury, and executioner. They’re empowered to arrest, sentence, and even execute criminals on the spot. IGN ranked him 35th in their Top 100 Comic Book Heroes.

The 1995 adaptation, Judge Dredd, earned Sylvester Stallone a Golden Raspberry nomination for Worst Actor.

This 2012 remake isn’t related to the 1995 version. It was shot in South Africa over 13 weeks. Written and produced by Alex Garland, who I remember from 28 Days Later (2002). Dredd is made for action freaks, with a good enough story to entertain. The plot is engaging, solid, and straightforward. Salute to Garland for that, making the movie easy to follow and appreciate.

The story is set in future America. Mega City One is a vast, violent metropolis where criminals rule the chaotic streets. The Judges are feared throughout the city. Dredd (Karl Urban) is the ultimate Judge tasked with wiping out a dangerous drug called "Slo-Mo", which gives users the ability to experience reality at a fraction of its normal speed. 

Dredd is assigned to train and evaluate Cassandra Anderson (Olivia Thirlby), a rookie mutant with powerful psychic abilities.

A crime pulls them into a neighborhood where fellow Judges rarely venture, a 200-storey vertical slum controlled by ex-prostitute turned drug lord Ma-Ma (Lena Headey). She’s fortified the place with weapons and turned it into a fortress.

Dredd and his partner must stop her and shut down the drug operation. What draws them into Ma-Ma’s den? She wanted to send a message, so she skinned three people and dropped them from the top of her high-rise.

Pete Travis, the director (The Jury), did a fine job. Most of the film is set inside that 200-storey building, but the cinematography avoids claustrophobia. The actors also gave it their all to make the movie memorable. Salute to Travis for keeping things clear without getting lost in subplots.

Dredd was played by Karl Urban, who was great in RED, and also appeared in The Return of the King, The Bourne Supremacy, Doom, and Priest. The downside to the movie, which I feel some viewers may have, is the lack of character depth given to any character on-screen. There is a lot to the character Dredd and Anderson, but this movie just dives in. Also, the amount of cinematic luck that seems to favour Dredd all through the movie can also be a turn off.

You should take the time to see this movie, and like me, give it a second look to really appreciate what it offers.

It’s sad that this movie didn’t make enough at the box office for a sequel. As of now, there are no plans, but we’re all hoping streaming platforms do something. We’ve been waiting since 2012.