Dredd (2012)

'Dredd (2012)' is much better than the Stallone version. This gritty and true-to-the-comics adaptation has plenty of brutal action and sharp dialogue. The characters are relatable, the world is excellently painted and Urban's performance is on-point. The taut pace keeps you on the edge-of-your-seat throughout, and it's this that is perhaps the piece's greatest strength. That, and the fact it is a proper adult science-fiction aimed at the same audience as its source-material. It doesn't compromise and feels almost like a pulpy 80s move in the best way possible, stripped-back and blood-thirsty. It's a remarkable achievement considering its budget. 7/10

Soooo I think I love this movie and also I usually can't stand watching the same one (movie) more then once, but this.. this just doesn't get boring (drug like effect?). Main actors are perfect, but everyone working on it did an outstanding job and it shows in every scene.P.S. If they ever decide to make a sequel I hope we get to see Olivia Thirlby again (alongside Karl Urban), but now as a kick-ass judge Anderson.

I know this wasn't a box office hit, but this movie was pretty damn creative and awesome. I know a sequel is questionable, but it has potential. Maybe they should step up the marketing department here :(

If the 1995 film hadn't catered to Roy Schneider idiocy - he managed to be even more irritating than the Joe Pesci character in the Lethal Weapon films (though to be fair to him I believe it was Sly who wanted more comedy, failing to appreciate the dry humour of the comic book series). As I only know the comics superficially, I appreciated this film as an actioner and there's no shortage of that, although the violence may be too graphic for many audiences (eg: we see a person hitting the ground after falling over a kilometer through the air). What gave it more depth was Dredd's rookie partner, whose use of her mind reading powers was not only a powerful tool in their fight for survival but enabled her to empathise with many of the bad guys who would otherwise be regarded as disposable street trash. I hope there are sequels, as there is plenty of ground to be explored and the topic of failing justice is topical, given the way the courts are overloaded with delaying tactics and lack of staff to handle the volume, which in turn gives the advantage to those who can afford to wait for as long as it takes. There's also the issue of law enforcement playing by rules coming up against criminals who don't abide by any rules whatsoever. And of course there's the whole notion of quick justice, dispensed by individuals who are judge, jury and executioner; a level of power that may be efficient but has enormous power to corrupt. But in a world where many people feel the power has swung too far the other way (how often do we hear the lament that only criminals seem to have rights?), pulling it in this direction is an attractive proposition that can be healthily explored in the cinema.