One of my other review themes is best described as “Something Old, Something New.” With these reviews, I’ll focus on a pair of films in which one is a remake, sequel, or directly influenced by the other. The inaugural SO/SN will feature 1995’s Sylvester Stallone action vehicle, “Judge Dredd,” and 2012’s, “Dredd,” featuring Karl Urban as the titular character.
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In the future, much of civilization has been destroyed by war. What humanity remains, at least in North America, are walled up within great city-states like Mega-City One, which extends down must of the US eastern seaboard. The rest of the former United States are a radioactive wasteland, home of mutants, cannibals, and monsters, and referred to as, “The Cursed Earth.” To maintain law and order in the crowded dystopian Mega-Cities, the Judges were formed. They are a special police force that serves to not only enforce the law, but to judge the perpetrator, and carry out sentence. None is more famous, or more feared, than Judge Dredd…
Judge Dredd (1995)
Dir: Danny Cannon
Screenwriter(s): William Wisher, Steven E. de Souza
Apparently, Sylvester Stallone was unfamiliar with the character of Judge Dredd prior to being offered the role, and it shows in his performance. He creates a parody of the Dredd character that is deservedly mocked even within the film. His involvement further complicated production because, according to IMDb, Stallone, “…felt the film was supposed to be a comedy/action film, and demanded rewrites to make it even more comedic.” Unfortunately, the screenwriter and director had meant for the film to be darker and satirical. And, perhaps the worst offense of the film… Dredd almost never wears his helmet.
The rest of the cast includes an over-the-top Armand Assante as the villainous Rico; Jurgen Prochnow as the (SPOILER) traitorous Judge Griffin; Max Von Sydow as Chief Justice Fargo; Diane Lane as Dredd’s partner, Judge Hershey; and for “Walking Dead” fans, Scott Wilson shows up as Pa Angel, patriarch of a cannibal clan beyond the walls of Mega-City One. Oh, and Rob Schneider appears as “Fergee” Ferguson… Yeah, that Rob Schneider… Who I didn’t hate nearly as much as I expected to…
The look of the film is 90s era “futuristic” and the Judge uniforms have a glossiness and impracticality that probably would have been great for action figures, but are terrible as actual gear. And, despite an ‘R’ rating for violence, (instead of the intended PG-13), one never gets the sense that there are any consequences for the cartoonish level of violence depicted in the film. As a result, instead of being a grim dystopian action thriller, it was a weaker translation than even its contemporary pulp and comic-inspired films, “The Shadow,” and “The Phantom.” Essentially, it was a futuristic 90s “buddy cop” movie, which would have been entertaining and relatively forgettable, but was a terrible interpretation of Dredd.
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Dredd (2012)
Dir: Pete Travis
Screenwriter: Alex Garland
Holy Moose! Now, that’s what I’m talking about. Karl Urban IS Dredd, and there’s no question that he IS The Law. Supported by Olivia Thirlby, who is perfect as the psychic rookie Anderson, Urban gives a performance that makes one wish that he could execute Stallone’s version for crimes against the audience.
This version of Dredd is grittier, bleaker, deadlier, and most important of all, gives the viewer the sense that there are consequences for the violence. With only the gear they carry, and no real hope for backup, the legendary Judge and the rookie who barely qualified have to fight their way through the Peach Trees housing complex – a fortified apartment building locked down by, and under the complete control of, the drug warlord, Ma Ma, played to vicious perfection by Lena Heady.
In all, “Dredd” feels like a more accurate portrayal of the original comic character. Urban keeps the character understated and stoic without becoming wooden, and has to do most of his acting with just his mouth and chin because HE NEVER TAKES OFF HIS HELMET! (Thank you, Karl.) The Dredd of the comics rarely removed his helmet, even when “relaxing” at home. When he did, his face was always obscured. This isn’t just to keep Dredd a mysterious figure, but to avoid setting him apart from the rest. From the perspective of the character, he’s just another Judge doing his part to enforce The Law.
He just happens to be particularly good at it.
“Dredd” is well worth the rental price, and is currently available via Netflix streaming. I highly recommend watching it, rating it, and supporting the movement for a sequel.
You can check that out at https://www.facebook.com/MakeADreddSequel
I still lack a formal rating system, so I’ll just use an arbitrary one connected to the review theme…
Judge Dredd (1995) 3 Lawgiver rounds from a ten-clip
Dredd (2012) 8.5 Lawgiver rounds from a ten-clip
Central Iowa Video Nostalgia 