- Film Review
- Reviewed By Alan Jones
-
4 out of 5
This gritty and very violent reboot of the 2000 AD comic-strip is the thrilling, visceral film Judge Dredd fans have been waiting for. Smartly written by long-time Dredd fan Alex Garland (28 Days Later), the film embraces the dark heart of the source material in a way that Sylvester Stallone's 1995 take on the character failed to do. The no-nonsense law enforcer (played by Karl Urban, who never removes his helmet) is assigned the job of assessing a rookie (an engaging Olivia Thirlby) with startling psychic powers. They soon find themselves trapped in a 200-storey slum controlled by psychotic hoodlum Lena Headey, from where she and her gang deal a drug called Slo-Mo. For the two judges, the only way is up. The plot similarities to The Raid are unfortunate but this is still spectacular stuff, with plenty of intense action, as Dredd implacably blasts his way through each level of the tower block, and some surprisingly artful slow-motion sequences for the hallucinating effects of the drug. This is brisk and brutal film-making.
Plot Summary
An uncompromising law enforcer in a post-apocalyptic city is assigned to stop the spread of a deadly new drug. Accompanied by a psychic new recruit, he tracks the narcotic to its source, but the pair become trapped in a tower block dominated by a ruthless crime lord and must fight their way out. Sci-fi thriller based on the 2000AD comic-strip, starring Karl Urban, Lena Headey and Olivia Thirlby.
Cast and crew
Cast
- Judge Dredd
- Karl Urban
- Cassandra Anderson
- Olivia Thirlby
- Madeline "Ma-Ma" Madrigal
- Lena Headey
- Kay
- Wood Harris
- Clan Techie
- Domhnall Gleeson
- Judge Lex
- Langley Kirkwood
- Paramedic TJ
- Deobia Oparei
- Caleb
- Warwick Grier
- Chief Judge
- Rakie Ayola
- Zwirner
- Jason Cope
- Big Joe
- Joe Vaz
- Judge Guthrie
- Francis Chouler
Crew
- Director
- Pete Travis
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