Dredd
Tags: dark, comedy, neo noir, murder, mystery, paranormal, allegory, violence, psychedelic, action, satire, suspenseful, sci-fi

Plot synopsis:
The future United States is a dystopic irradiated wasteland known as the Cursed Earth. On the east coast lies Mega-City One, a violent metropolis with 800 million residents and 17,000 crimes reported daily. The only force for order are the Judges, who act as judge, jury and executioner. Judge Dredd is tasked by the Chief Judge with evaluating new recruit Cassandra Anderson, a powerful psychic who failed the aptitude tests to become a Judge.
In Peach Trees, a 200-storey slum tower block, drug lord Madeline Madrigal, also known as "Ma-Ma", executes three rogue drug dealers by having them skinned alive, infused with Slo-Mo (an addictive new drug which reduces the user's perception of time to 1% of normal) and thrown down the atrium from the top floor. Dredd and Anderson are sent in to investigate and learn of a drug den, which they raid. They arrest a thug named Kay, whom Anderson's mind probe reveals to be the one who carried out the drug dealers' executions. Dredd decides to take him in for questioning. In response, Ma-Ma's forces seize the tower's security control room and seal the building, using its blast shields under the pretence of a security test, preventing the Judges from leaving or summoning help.
Ma-Ma orders Dredd and Anderson killed, forcing the Judges to fight their way through dozens of armed thugs. Arriving at the 76th floor, the Judges are assaulted by Ma-Ma and her men with Vulcan cannons that rip through the walls, killing numerous residents. The Judges breach an outer wall and call for backup. Meanwhile, Ma-Ma sends her henchman Caleb to search for the Judges. When they meet, Dredd throws Caleb off the tower in full view of Ma-Ma.
Dredd suspects Ma-Ma is desperate to keep Kay quiet and beats him for information. Anderson reads Kay's mind and learns that Peach Trees is the centre of Slo-Mo production and distribution. Anderson suggests they hide while awaiting assistance but Dredd insists they move up the tower and pursue Ma-Ma. Judges Volt and Guthrie respond to Dredd's call, but Ma-Ma's computer expert denies them entry by persuading them the security system is malfunctioning. A pair of armed teens confront Dredd and Anderson, allowing Kay to disarm and overpower Anderson. Kay then escapes with her as hostage, and takes her to Ma-Ma's base on the top floor.
While Dredd works his way towards Ma-Ma, she calls in the corrupt Judges Lex, Kaplan, Chan and Alvarez. The four relieve Volt and Guthrie from duty and are allowed into the building. Dredd encounters Chan and is suspicious that he does not ask about Anderson's status. Seeing his cover blown, Chan attacks Dredd, but is killed. Meanwhile, Kay tries to execute Anderson with her own weapon, but the pistol's DNA scanner does not recognise him and explodes, taking his arm off. She escapes and later encounters Kaplan, whom she promptly kills after reading Kaplan's mind. Elsewhere, Dredd kills Alvarez but runs out of ammunition, and is shot by Lex in the abdomen. Lex moves in to execute Dredd, but Dredd stalls him long enough for Anderson to arrive and kill Lex.
Anderson and Dredd obtain the code to Ma-Ma's apartment from her computer expert and confront her. Ma-Ma tells Dredd that, in the case of her death, a device on her wrist will detonate explosives on the top floors, destroying the building. Dredd reasons that the detonator's signal will not reach the explosives from the ground floor, so he forces Ma-Ma to inhale Slo-Mo and throws her down the atrium to her death.
In the aftermath, Anderson accepts that she has failed her evaluation by getting disarmed, and leaves. The Chief Judge asks Dredd about Anderson's performance; he responds that she has passed.

Review: Director Pete Travis tackled the problem of filming a comic book by making something that looks nothing like a comic book and more like an action movie shot on location, with a simple linear plot that keeps rolling and never slows down.Megacity 1 is made markedly less futuristic than the comic in order to become so believable that it is hard to tell where the real slums of Cape Town end and the CGI kilometre high city blocks start.
I have an uncomfortable feeling that in less than a hundred years cities like this may actually exist.The comic Judge's uniform works on paper but can't in real life - giant golden eagles, shoulder pads and bronze name badges hanging off a leather one-piece body suit would sag, wobble and look daft.
The effect is striking and believable, like everything else in this film.The plot revolves around a drug which makes time seem to slow down a hundred times, the perfect excuse for scenes of ultra slo-mo explosive bloody (and beautiful) anatomically correct violence that earn this film its 18 rating.
Lena Headey totally kicks ass as the ruthless gang lord Ma Ma, calmly relishing the deaths of her enemies, eyes sledging from narcotic addiction.In a way this is Olivia Thirlby's movie, since she gets the character arc, rookie judge Cassandra Anderson assigned to Dredd for evaluation and finding herself on a very steep learning curve.
You want to see that Judge Dredd takes her up in the air, "Your going down, your going down real good." I love this movie I had a great time seen it, it is a solid Rater R reboot movie for an adults and not a children.
But even the top-ranking Judge, Dredd (Karl Urban), discovers that taking down Ma-Ma isn't as easy as it seems in this explosive adaptation of the hugely popular comic series.That is your basic plot it is a lot of interesting titles that make this movie the bleak and desolate sci-fi actioner that it is.
The basic aim of Dredd is simple – it needs to be bold, true to the source material and full of juicy violence, enough to wipe out the memories of the notoriously poor Stallone attempt of 1995 that threw plenty of money at the screen without bothering to work on anything resembling a decent script.The character of Judge Dredd, now entering his 35th year in UK comic 2000AD (they know it's 2012 - don't ask), isn't a complicated one.
This, people, is as thin as the blue line gets.The film is written by long time fan Alex Garland (28 Days later, Sunshine), and has had plenty of input from Dredd's creator (and still main writer even now) John Wagner.
Director Pete Travis (Endgame) does an excellent job, and between them they have turned in a film that will stand the test of time as a superior, adult action movie.The premise is reasonably simple, something that works well as an introduction to what is, in the comics at least, a sprawling future world.
A routine triple homicide (it's that sort of city) turns into a siege when they are trapped in a massive tower block by criminal nutjob Ma Ma (Lena Headey) and forced to fight their way out and stop her manufacturing the addictive new drug, Slo Mo. Obviously there's a bit more to it than that, but this is the basic set up and it works very well indeed, allowing for plenty of violence, some character development and no few explosions.I can't write this review without focusing on Karl Urban, who has previously stood out for his excellent turn as Dr McCoy in the Star Trek revival.
Between them they give us the tired old wardog and the 21 year old rookie on the streets for the first time, and you sympathise with the life of a Mega City Judge.Some people have criticized the apparent similarities between Dredd and the recent film The Raid: Redemption, in which Indonesian cops storm a tower block and much chop sockey ensues.
I've been a Dredd fan for thirty years now, but I'm not about to give this movie adaptation of my favourite comic character a ridiculously high rating purely from some misguided sense of loyalty.
Instead, I'm going to give it a deservingly high score because, quite simply, it is a very good film, one that successfully captures the essence of the 2000AD strip, delivering brutal action by the bucket-load, excellent central performances, and inspired direction, all enhanced by breathtaking state-of-the-art 3D special effects.After the debacle that was Stallone's Judge Dredd (1995), the makers of this movie have clearly made their prime directive to please hardcore Dredd fans, and it shows: the screenplay, by Alex Garland, remains very faithful to the spirit of the comic, and in Karl Urban, we now have the perfect Dredd—all raspy voice and humourless grimace, it looks as though the character has jumped straight onto the screen from the pages of 2000AD (helmet intact).
Possibly not the best film to watch on a first date, but if you know what you're getting yourself in for and just want some entertaining action, I really don't think Dredd will disappoint..
The director did a great job on the city and you really feel like it is a corrupt and decadent city where law enforcement officers can judge, jury and execute criminals on the spot.As I watched the film I was being surprised again and again.
It's just okay and the only acting you need to care for is Dredd and Karl Urban nailed his performance as Judge Dredd.The film has a good pace and the action length was on the spot.
Even though this film has gained a cult following, it just wasn't the Judge Dredd movie fans wanted.
Now a low key British film company has had another crack at bringing Dredd to the silver screen, and the result is a great science fiction action film that holds no punches and gives the audience a gritty, gory and surprisingly relatable take on the comic book hero.Karl Urban plays the titular "Dredd", not the most recognisable or bankable actor working, but certainly one of the most versatile.
Dredd himself is not a superhero, he gets shot and bleeds like everyone else this feeling of vulnerability makes it easier to relate to the character.There's no Rob Schneider in this movie, oh no, no desperate comedy at all there's just no laughs to be had whatsoever.
Dredd doesn't have anywhere near the impressive stunts featured in The Raid and it makes you wish you had seen The Raid after you saw this, because you keep thinking to yourself: "this scene was done better in The Raid".The slow-motion sections showcasing the effects of the "Slow-Mo Drug" are a little overused, the colour is over-saturated and these are the only times in the film where the 3D is used to a noticeable degree.Overall it's a far superior Judge Dredd film to the one that came before it, and has enough action and doesn't over-complicate itself to the point where people aren't bored watching it.
I hope there is a sequel because it would be really great to see more of this version of Dredd, Urban has a better grip on what the character should be and i can see him taking it a long way..
The grungy neon lights of a dystopian future, the scarlet blood and glimmering glass, the hauntingly beautiful slow motion, what makes this movie great is definitely the visual aspects.Dredd himself is very one dimensional, forcedly so.
Based on the character from the popular 2000AD comic book series, the film was a huge disappointment with critics and a source of much heartache for Dredd devotees in the way it seemed to blatantly disregard crucial aspects of the source mythology both in look and tone.
Fast forward to present day, a world in which comic book characters mean big money for film studios, surely enough time has passed to give the old Judge another crack of the whip right?
Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) is the last word in Law & Order within Mega-City One. Judge Cassandra Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) is his junior partner.
It sounds dull, but the scenes are well done and the movie flows nicely.Judge Dredd's character was modeled after Dirty Harry and it shows with his raspy voice, dislike of most individuals, and general unhappiness.
Karl Urban, as many have said on these boards, IS Dredd...and that is a remarkable feat to pull off, considering half of his face is shielded for the whole movie (just like in the comics).
Lots of sweet little Easter Eggs like that in the film to really make it shine for a fan.Like all good comic book heroes, Dredd is simple on one level: he is the law.
I've never reviewed a film before but it needs to be done for this one because it needs more popularity for a sequelreal rating 9/10 but it needs more credit because it is a really top of the line film and needs more popularity for a sequel (which would be amazing) my favourite hero was batman but now it's dredd and it reminds me of the video game of the xbox a bit too, which was a great game.the film is full of action and an interesting story which isn't anything really new but it is most certainly not cliché or boring and the actors did a great job.
I'd never seen this actor before in anything but the new trek movies but I thought he did a great job capturing the spirit of the Judge Dredd character.
A no nonsense law enforcer with a frown forever on his face.Dredd and a rookie called Anderson enter a high rise building to resolve on a homicide but it becomes a death trap set by drug lord Ma-Ma. The movie simple plot is how they escape.
This leaves me - and seemingly a lot of other people - hoping for more.All this means that "Dredd" is a good movie and indeed deserves to be recommended.But in my opinion - apart from many other long time Dredd fans - it fails rather severely in capturing the "feel" of the comic books.
It's more a showcase than good story telling.But this also makes the Stallone movie more colorful, absurd, and over-the-top in a way that - despite the helmet issue - does a better job at capturing several important qualities that make the books stand apart.The new "Dredd" does a better job at telling a story - but it fails more severely in being "real" Dredd.
The first film adaptation of Judge Dredd is probably made for Sylvester Stallone's career, but it tones down the character by making him a generic hero with a wimpy sidekick and a love interest, fighting a bunch of hammy villains.
Urban deserves the opportunity to make Judge Dredd his franchise and bring the character back for future films.Olivia Thirlby is Anderson, Dredd's recruit.
DREDD is one of the best action movies of the year; I love it's full-blown violence and the gritty future it's set in.
Cut the budget in half to a reasonably cheap sum of $45 million and get Vantage Point director, Pete Travis to direct and Alex Garland (28 Days Later) to write the script and see what happens..F**king awesome is what happens!This Dredd is a tightly made, tightly scripted, claustrophobic film with a healthy dose of brutal violence and a wicked view as to what makes the comic work so well.
It's really well played.But the BEST thing about the film and I'm so happy to say this, is Judge Dredd himself as a character.
Music is by Paul Leonard-Morgan and cinematography by Anthony Dod Mantle.Review for 2D Version Only.Sylvester Stallone'S 1995 attempt at bringing Judge Dredd to the big screen was met with a critical mauling, both professionally and by serious fans of the 2000AD comic books from whence the character came.
Here however, under the guidance of Travis and Garland, Dredd gets the picture the fans and the character deserves.Plot is simple, we are in a dystopian future in a place known as Mega-City One. The only law and order are the Judges who are able to act as judge, jury and executioner.
The production design is top draw, where Mega-City One has a perfect totalitarianism sheen to it, which in turn is boosted by Dod Mantle's excellent colour lenses.With Urban perfectly cast and his two lady co-stars also firing, Dredd is a thrilling action sci-fi movie.
Action and Dredd's coolness packed with his one liners leads him up the slum to Ma-ma, with packs of bodies behind.In couple of moments film tries to touch ethical dilemmas of simplified justice judges use to efficiently punish offenders, as well as world in which people are turned into piece of meat system needs to deal with, but does not go into much depth.
It is shame as this makes her convincing, but not one of the greatest villains we've seen.Mentioned above are common headaches most action movies of this type have and will not spoil your enjoyment if you are fan of action films, since Dredd does everything he promises - good action, believable characters, avoids most clichés and has good atmosphere.As I watched Dredd couple days ago, it came to my surprise that's third time I've seen it.
Judge Dredd is really good pacing action movie.
Dredd (2012) is not to be confused with much maligned Sylvester Stallone film (from 1995) is an unrelenting, faithful and exciting science fiction actioner complete with a great cast of formidable villains and interesting characters.Karl Urban assumes the titular role of title role of (Judge) Dredd.
There are so many stories that can be told in the Judge Dredd universe just like Peach Trees being just one slum-tower of many which makes up Mega-City One - it was a great starting point.
Many years ago IMDb was a useful source to check if a movie was good or bad, but that has changed after film producers has realized the marketing potential on a site like this unfortunately.Hope I helped you make up your mind.-Obi. Exciting, interesting, but not really Dredd.
The Judge Dredd comics work on many different levels, they are action stories, they are satire, think pieces and commentary about the nature of crime and justice, comedy, and they are tales from a city they we believe will likely to exist some time in the not too distant future.Taking its cue from Batman Begins, this movie tries to put Judge Dredd into the real world.
The bleak and unconditional world makes Judge Dredd the perfect comic character for an action film and thankfully Dredd does not disappoint.The film does not sport a big budget or complex script which at times shows as average special effects and lack of grand story elements, but what it lacks in budget and complexity, it compensates with sheer attitude.
The story is fitting in its simplicity for a straightforward action film where Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) is dispatched to investigate recent murders at one of the huge ghetto skyscrapers of Mega City 1.
Though every reviewer here will tell you why it was a bad movie and why there are still people who love it, the fact remains the same: The moment we heard a new Judge Dredd movie would be released we all immediately thought of the 1995 film.
Karl Urban was fantastic in the lead role of Dredd and along with Olivia Thirlby as Judge Cassandra Anderson they made a great on screen team.I would recommend this film to anyone, whether you are a fan of Dredd or not.
First of I would like to say that my romance with Judge Dredd as a comic hero was rather slim and narrowed to a couple of special edition comic books released around the same time that the Sly's version of the movie came out (1995).
Set in a futuristic world where America is an irradiated wasteland & people live only in Mega City One; a vast & violent metropolis in which crimes are always high & the only force of order within this chaotic city lies with the cops known as "Judges" who have the authority to act as judge, jury & instant executioner, Dredd tells the story of Judge Dredd, who ventures into the city's most dangerous spot along with a rookie psychic to investigate a crime scene but when the overlord of the building intervenes in the process, the Judge decides to deliver judgment in the only manner he can.Stylishly directed, finely scripted & vibrantly photographed with not-so-frequent use of slow motions which actually has a reason to exist here, the one thing that's sure to please many action fans is the blood, gore & gun war that takes place throughout its runtime.
Music turns out to be a disappointment & rarely fits the narrative but the action (and there's loads of it in here) makes up for a lot of things the movie lacks otherwise.Coming to the performances, Karl Urban felt more machine than human but it very much suited his character of Dredd & he did play him with panache.
All in all, dredd was never this mainstream comic book character people idolized or even knew very much but the post-apocalyptic crime ridden city and the judges kind of impressed me, and mainly because I was ten years old at the time.
It is a very gory film but the blood is intentionally ridiculous splatters, so it doesn't get disturbing or exploitative.Overall, Dredd is an enjoyable movie that captures the spirit of its comic book origin while providing enjoyably brutal action.
There has to be some reason why we should care about this society enough to think that the violence is undeserved.The interplay between Dredd (Karl Urban) and Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) was minimal, but this was the heart of the movie, I suppose, and what made it also a film for grownups.