Dredd

It cannot in any case be denied that the new Dredd movie is a knock-off of the Indonesian film The Raid, but the plagiaristic practices at its core at least appropriately recall the fact that this is pure-blooded B-movie trash. British film production is not trying to jump on the current Hollywood cash cow of comic-book movies as the equivalent of action blockbusters for the new millennium. On the contrary, it is quite blatantly staying at the level of trash that’s inaccessible to young people. However, that doesn’t mean that the filmmakers have given up on having any kind of ambition. Dredd is actually captivating with the inventiveness with which it embellishes the straightforward story and the purely artificial and, in many cases, entirely unjustified attraction of 3D. These days, stereoscopic projections are nothing more than an excuse to entice audiences into cinemas and pull a little more money out of their pockets than usual, but only a few such films contain at least slightly memorable sequences that somehow employ the illusion of three-dimensionality. Dredd offers up the entirely trivial attraction of slow-motion money shots, which it simply but all the more effectively and cleverly justifies in the narrative with a parallel storyline involving a drug aptly called Slo-Mo. As a result, however, the film is most surprising in that Dredd himself comes off as a bundle of sympathetically amusing clichés and would-be tough-guy lines unconvincingly delivered with appropriate woodenness by Karl Urban, who has zero charisma or personality. On the other hand, that enables the two main female character, portrayed by the perfectly type cast Olivia Thirlby and Lena Headey, to stand out all the more in comparison with him. Thanks to that, Dredd is not just another eighties macho throwback or a Marvel-esque would-be dramatic blockbuster faking depth, but a dynamic trash flick with enticing female characters. (05/03/2013)

Dredd lacks dynamism in terms of action, but the grimy postapocalyptic atmosphere and impressive staging make up for it. This movie is not afraid to go its own way, ignore the mainstream and overflow with ideas. Plus it has a great A-list actress as the main badass. It’s like the best installment of Resident Evil, minus all the zombies and monsters. Everything I wanted as a 14-year-old from Blade Runner and failed to get, given my expectations and demands at that age :-) (09/20/2018)

It's hard to find a better subject for a demonstration of the technological advances of high-frequency cameras than a fascist enforcer, where even a guy like Almódovar could have a go at psychology. Which is nicely hinted at, among other things, by the scene where the telepath declares that she feels something like-... and is promptly cut off by her superior, and the film never returns to this theme throughout. Who wants it to, either, when Dredd's means of expression is catered for throughout the running time by his trusty hand cannon, which has a small black hole in the ammunition chamber, so he can mow down an entire house with one handheld multi-function pistol (OBI Fall 2012/Winter 2013 catalogue), which he explains in advance to all the occupants with the courtesy of a civil servant. Then one will forgive even the fact that Karl Urban's helmet is a tad large. Dredd is a cinephilic B-movie, fondling every shot, creating the effectiveness of the action sequences not by editing but by framing the shot, and most importantly a film in which the use of spectacular slow motion is grounded in a narrative structure that is simply revolutionary. And Lena Headey is nipping cruelly at the heels of Batman's Bane as one of this year’s baddies. (01/06/2013)

I wasn’t looking forward to it. I don’t know the comics, I didn’t watch the first Judge Dredd, I don’t like this kind of action B-movies, and the trailer was repellent. In short, the ideal position for a movie to surprise me. And it did. It’s brutal, with a dose of exaggeration so perfectly balanced that it doesn’t look cringe, but cool. Everything is properly intense: the visuals, the violence, the dialogues, the actors; everything is over the top, but not too much. Dredd can be considered utter bullshit, and many people will for sure. But for me it’s a distinctive, engaging, intense and purposeful movie without much competition in its sub-genre. (12/20/2012)

Surprisingly good, but only on the second attempt. The first time I saw Dredd, I couldn't shake the impression for a good half of the film that Karl Urban was wearing a helmet a size too big and that most of what he says sounds wannabe tough/awkward. The second time around, however, all that disappeared and I noticed mainly the film's momentum, how thoughtful and blackly funny it is, how well Dredd and his partner fit together, how perfect Lena Headey is as the villain, and how all the bloody scenes have their reasons and none of them are there just for decoration... A lot of moments will probably become legendary (Dredd coming in, throwing the henchman off the catwalk, and leaving again) and if it's true that there won't be a sequel, then that’s a real shame. The next time I see the film (and it is certain that I will see it), I may very well add a fifth star. (04/03/2014)