Dredd (2012)

In a violent, futuristic city where the police have the authority to act as judge, jury and executioner, a cop teams with a trainee to take down a gang that deals the reality-altering drug, SLO-MO.

Director:

Pete Travis

Writers:

John Wagner (characters), Carlos Ezquerra (characters),

Stars:

Karl Urban, Rachel Wood, Olivia Thirlby

2 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Karl Urban	...	Judge Dredd
Rachel Wood	...	Control Operator 1
Andile Mngadi	...	Passenger
Porteus Xandau	...	Driver
Jason Cope	...	Zwirner
Emma Breschi	...	Hostage
Olivia Thirlby	...	Anderson
Rakie Ayola	...	Chief Judge
Lena Headey	...	Ma-Ma
Tamer Burjaq	...	Ma-Ma Bodyguard
Warrick Grier	...	Caleb
Wood Harris	...	Kay
Shoki Mokgapa	...	Woman with Child
Yohan Chun	...	Girl in Window
Eden Knowles	...	Girl in Window

Storyline

The future America is an irradiated waste land. On its East Coast, running from Boston to Washington DC, lies Mega City One - a vast, violent metropolis where criminals rule the chaotic streets. The only force of order lies with the urban cops called "Judges" who possess the combined powers of judge, jury and instant executioner. Known and feared throughout the city, Dredd is the ultimate Judge, challenged with ridding the city of its latest scourge - a dangerous drug epidemic that has users of "Slo-Mo" experiencing reality at a fraction of its normal speed. During a routine day on the job, Dredd is assigned to train and evaluate Cassandra Anderson, a rookie with powerful psychic abilities thanks to a genetic mutation. A heinous crime calls them to a neighborhood where fellow Judges rarely dare to venture - a 200 storey vertical slum controlled by prostitute turned drug lord Ma-Ma and her ruthless clan. When they capture one of the clan's inner circle, Ma-Ma overtakes the compound's ...

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Plot Keywords:

judge | drugs | jury | rookie | executioner | 

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Taglines:

Judgment is coming

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Genres:

Action | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong bloody violence, language, drug use and some sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

UK USA India South Africa

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 September 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dredd 3D

Filming Locations:

Cape Town Film Studios, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$6,278,491 (USA) (21 September 2012)

Gross:

$13,401,683 (USA) (26 October 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

DNA Films, IM Global, Peach Trees

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Datasat Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (3D Stereoscopic)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Duncan Jones was offered the film, but turned it down, not because he didn't like the Alex Garland script (Jones said it was great), but because he had such a strong idea of what he wanted to do with a Dredd movie, that he felt he could not bring himself to take it on and not do it his way.

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Goofs

When Lex "deals with" Dredd the shadows from the wall where Dredd is stood alter according to camera angle.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Judge Dredd: America is an irradiated wasteland. Within it lies a city. Outside the boundary walls, a desert. A cursed earth. Inside the walls, a cursed city, stretching from Boston to Washington D.C. An unbroken concrete landscape. 800 million people living in the ruin of the old world and the mega structures of the new one. Mega blocks. Mega highways. Mega City One. Convulsing. Choking. Breaking under its own weight. Citizens in fear of the street. The gun. The gang. Only one thing fighting ...

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Connections

Referenced in Special Collector's Edition: La carrera del siglo (2013)

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Soundtracks

"Pontiac Moon"
Written by Robert J Walsh
Published by Universal Publishing
Production Music

User Reviews

As good as it could have been

Let me start by saying, I thoroughly enjoyed this film, as in my opinion, it did everything right. Sure, it had no real substance of a story line (hence the 8/10) but that didn't take much away from the film. The simplistic story also had its advantages, as more time could be dedicated to Dredd doing what Dredd does best, instead of messing around in lengthy conversations. Besides, a detailed emotional story might have made this film a flop, as the cold, ruthless character of Dredd would have been somewhat diminished if that had been the case.

So what made this film for me? Simple, the fact that they weren't afraid to make it an 18. This lends strong evidence to the argument that if you want to make an action film that raises the bar, it has to contain all of the shots that just aren't allowed in a 15 rated film. The drug, SLO- M0, that is used by the junkies in this film to slow their perception of time, allows for stunning, and brutal, scenes that also look great in 3D. The 18 rating also allowed for the director to create villains that you despise and you can understand why the other innocent characters fear them, which engages us as an audience.

The film's script is cheesy, but if you've seen the other Judge Dredd film, that'll hardly be a surprise. And I must admit that Karl Urban does a fantastic job of making the lines still sound good. And overall, the acting is good, which is a relief after seeing so many action films where even the main character can't act..

Overall, a great film. Possibly not the best film to watch on a first date, but if you know what you're getting yourself in for and just want some entertaining action, I really don't think Dredd will disappoint.