Ninety minutes of Dredd walking upward through a building and absolutely ruining people's day.
Nerdy Up North Podcast
The setup
Veteran Judge Dredd is evaluating rookie Cassandra Anderson when a routine murder investigation leads them to Peach Trees. Drug lord Ma-Ma seals the enormous tower and orders every gang member inside to kill the Judges before they can escape.
Dredd understands its character almost immediately. Karl Urban never takes the helmet off, never gives you a sentimental backstory and never tries to turn Dredd into a lovable hero. He is simply Dredd. The confined Peach Trees setting gives the film a brilliant video game like progression as the pair fight through increasingly dangerous obstacles towards Ma Ma. Lena Headey is excellent because the film never feels the need to make her glamorous. The slow motion photography gives the Slo Mo drug its own beautiful visual identity while also making the violence look horrific. The obvious comparison is The Raid, and the film does sometimes struggle to make Dredd himself feel genuinely endangered, but those are minor complaints. While I do love this film and want more Dredd movies, The Raid did it so much better
Verdict
Dredd is one of the best comic book films of its era precisely because it refuses to behave like a conventional comic book blockbuster. Gritty, nasty and ridiculously rewatchable.
