The Case for Dredd Locks

I can't say anything bad about the new Dredd movie, starring the jaw of Karl Urban in the role made infamous by Sylvester Stallone in the last movie outings.

That is, of course, not to say that this version is a brilliant film.  It's pretty grim, fairly serious, and there isn't  huge amount of character development or any real sort of plot.  But that is kind of the point.

Dredd is not about an incredibly complicated and involved storyline, with a rich history steeped in mythology or having to reference the real world.  It's all about a bleak, post apocalyptic world where the law needs to be taken into the hands of a few for any semblance of order to exist.  And the most sturdy, incorruptible hands belong to the man who never takes of his helmet, the Judge called Dredd.

And the film works because Dredd himself does not learn, or grow, or emote, or do anything namby pamby.  Dredd is there to dispense justice in the most violent and explosive way possible.  And so, in this version at least, he does.

Character development and emotion is left to other characters in the film.  Dredd's partner, Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) is learning how to be a Judge and so its through her eyes we witness the depravity and violence of the future.  On the other side of the law lies Lena Heady, honing her evil skills that she wonderfully uses in Game of Thrones and killing lots and lots of people with a minimum of mercy and a maximum of firepower.

The only problem with the film is that, at times, it all goes a bit slowly.  For most of the film, the two Judges make their way through enemy territory dispensing justice in the most deadly way possible.  Which is fine for the most part, but when things aren't being blown up, the pause does give one time to reflect on the fact that they are still not near the end.  The fact that the drug of choice in the bleak future is one that slows down time for the user - and for us, as we are shown the very pretty effects of the drug-induced experience - also adds to the sense of easy slowness.  

I think I was also a little distracted by some highly irritating cinemagoers behind me who seemed to have an unlimited supply of highly rustle-able bags and another unlimited supply of meaningless banter.  Grrr.  And no matter how hard I telepathically signalled to the Judges on the screen, none of them came down and mowed down the offenders in a hail of futuristic bullets.

But despite the slowness, the film itself was everything that a Dredd film should be: violent, straight forward, no nonsense and stubbled.  Urban is just awesome, as is the rest of the cast, and unlike Stallone, its obvious there is no Stallone-sized ego to get in the way of what the film should be. As much as this film is about the Judge, Dredd is just the steady core around which everything else happens, and Urban is solid, gritty and rock like - just as Dredd should be.

I have no idea if a second film is in the works, but it would be interesting to see any such plan would involve developing the character of Dredd, as really, that would probably ruin it.  In the meantime though, I will revel in the shallowness of this incarnation.  Sorry Stallone, Urban is the Law.

Verdict: Dredd is a shallow, violent piece of cinema, thankfully.  If you like your movies full of explosions and cynicism, this film is great.  Just try not to go all Judge-Mental if other people in the cinema don't view the film with the right level of respect.  7.5 laws out of 10.