Dredd is a movie, when I saw the trailers, I thought there is no way this could be good. Dredd was a cult comic book series here in the States based on the British book of the same name and in the publication 2000 A.D. John Wagner and Brian Bolland’s dark vision of a future world, where most of the Earth is an irradiated wasteland and the remaining inhabitants live in a sprawling megalopolis called Mega City 1, was a great piece of graphic science fiction as well as a great action series from my childhood. In the future, the police have the authority to act as judge, jury, and executioners. These elite law enforcement officers are trained from birth and the best of the best is Judge Dredd. His form of lone cowboy justice appealed to testosterone raging adolescents everywhere.
Sylvester Stallone tried to make a film version in the late 90’s and it was a catastrophe. Mostly because Stallone’s ego would not allow his face to remain hidden behind the famed helmet. Part of Judge Dredd’s mystique was that you never saw his face. Stallone also tried to soften Dredd’s edge as the whole concept of Judge Dredd is that he is part of an uncomfortably fascist police state where he is the hero. The comic book made no apologies for what it was and the sheer visceral entertainment of the stories was enough to overcome any philosophical objections readers would have.
So when I saw that Dredd had returned with little fanfare and an off peak season release spot (in the dreaded 3-D no less), I feared the worse, but my inner comic book geek made me go see it. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Dredd captures the essence of the book in all of its’ rated-R ultra violent glory. In addition, Director Pete Travis takes some daring artistic leaps in visual effects that is only enhanced by 3-D. It gives me hope that 3-D will evolve into it’s own art form as opposed to just a crutch to increase the ‘cool’ factor of sub-standard films.
An unrecognizable Karl Urban takes on the helmet of Dredd and does a fantastic job channeling a Clint Eastwoodesque version of the future super cop. While one can definitely see some of the low budget shots that could have been enhanced by a bigger budget, it really does not stand in the way of the story. The future is dark, crowded, and on the verge of chaos. Judges are the only line between order and total anarchy.
The plot is minimalist, but effective for the nature of a Dredd story. In a mega apartment slum that holds 80,000 tenants, gangs strive for control. One mob boss, a former prostitute named Ma-ma (Tamar Burjaq plays the disfigured villain frightening, yet seductive), has risen to power and taken control of the entire block. Her drug empire is fueled from the profits of a drug called Slo-Mo (a substance that slows down the users perception of time). Judge Dredd is assigned a rookie Judge named Anderson (perfectly cast Olivia Thirlby) and asked to stop Ma-ma’s plans. Anderson is deemed too soft to be a Judge, but she has a mutant psychic ability that the government feels would be an asset to the Judge corps. Dredd is asked to determine if she can hack being a Judge. A reluctant Judge Dredd accepts the assignment.
Dredd and Anderson stride into the hostile tenement to investigate a gang related triple homicide. Soon after entering the mega apartment building, Ma-ma seizes control of the building from Mega-city 1 and seals it off from the outside. Dredd and Anderson are trapped inside and Ma-ma puts a bounty on their heads. With a building of 80,000 tenants against them, Dredd determines their only chance of survival is to take out Ma-ma. Let the fun begin.
The film is a heavy R rating (unusual for a super-hero movie as it limits it’s target audience of adolescents) and it makes no apologies for the ultra violent and graphic gore fest as Dredd and Anderson make their way to the top floor to confront Ma-ma. Tamar Burjaq’s interpretation of Ma-ma is spot on. Even with her face scarred and disfigured, she rules her gang with diva like imperialness and shows no mercy to her foes (nor bystanders for that matter). Despite her alluring femininity, she is hard and ruthless and determined to rule.
As I stated earlier, I admire how Travis kept the flavor of Dredd while adding his own artistic flare. The sequences are highly stylized and original. In many cases beautiful to watch despite the violence being depicted. Full use of 3-D was utilized and I found myself mesmerized many times by the artistic canvas used. The pacing of the movie reminded me of John Carpenter’s ‘Escape From New York’, which I’m sure many liberties were taken, but Travis’s vision was all his own in this more than respectable version of the great British series.
I would be interested to hear from my British friends who remember the series from their childhood if Travis captured the essence of Judge Dredd. I feel unqualified being a Yank. Regardless, even if they don’t feel it does Dredd justice, I feel the film stands on it’s own and can be enjoyed by an audience who knows nothing of the character.
I give this film *** stars for style and daring.
