This is how a film based on Judge Dredd should have been made the first time around. Let's hope 1995's Judge Dredd starring Sylvester Stallone passes into oblivion.
This version steals the plot from Indonesian action film The Raid, where a police unit is trapped in a large building owned by a criminal gang and must fight its way out, only in this one the police unit consists solely of Dredd and his rookie partner, who is inexperienced but has psychic abilities.
It is not long before the criminals realise that locking themselves in a confined space with Dredd is not a good idea.
All performances are good, but Karl Urban playing Dredd is terrific in his amusingly deadpan performance, where for the entire film you do not get to see his face.
The depiction of the futuristic city is suitably gritty and impressive.
The action is excellent, and includes a number of clever slow-motion scenes, demonstrating the effect of a new drug.
I love this film and perhaps I could have given this a rating of 10. As it stands the film perfectly captures a random day in the life of Dredd. But I'm greedy and I wanted more detail and insight into how this futuristic city and its citizens live.
It's a film crying out for a sequel that expands the narrative, and given that you never see Dredd's face, it could be done even if Karl Urban chooses not to return in the title role.
This version steals the plot from Indonesian action film The Raid, where a police unit is trapped in a large building owned by a criminal gang and must fight its way out, only in this one the police unit consists solely of Dredd and his rookie partner, who is inexperienced but has psychic abilities.
It is not long before the criminals realise that locking themselves in a confined space with Dredd is not a good idea.
All performances are good, but Karl Urban playing Dredd is terrific in his amusingly deadpan performance, where for the entire film you do not get to see his face.
The depiction of the futuristic city is suitably gritty and impressive.
The action is excellent, and includes a number of clever slow-motion scenes, demonstrating the effect of a new drug.
I love this film and perhaps I could have given this a rating of 10. As it stands the film perfectly captures a random day in the life of Dredd. But I'm greedy and I wanted more detail and insight into how this futuristic city and its citizens live.
It's a film crying out for a sequel that expands the narrative, and given that you never see Dredd's face, it could be done even if Karl Urban chooses not to return in the title role.