Judge Dredd (1995)

The career of a Hollywood Star goes through various ups and downs. This excellent film came out at a point in Stallone's career when it was simply his turn to get reviewed harshly by the Hollywood community. He was getting older, his career had drifted considerably, and another Sly action picture was simply going to be a very hard sell. It took a much-underserved whipping when it was released.

As I say, that is a real shame, because Judge Dredd was one of the best comic book adaptations to ever make the cross into film. It perfectly captures the 70's/80's British comic book about a futuristic cop who reins supreme, given the power to arrest, judge, and execute wrongdoers in a world gone rampant with crime.

This was a big budget production, and the sets and special effects are magnificent. The story is extremely engaging, and it is packed with great action. The film really doesn't take a misstep throughout.

What makes the film a real treat are the supporting performances. Stallone himself delivers a perfect-pitch job as the Judge, nicely capturing all the stern dedication of the comic book, and as the film progresses, his character is beautifully and even touchingly rounded out. But I find myself remembering the lesser roles, such as Armand Assante as the arch villain, Rico, a man holding extreme power in his madness. When his temper flairs, everyone jumps back. The old veteran, Max Von Sydow, displays a pro's commitment in his portrayal of the aging Chief Justice Fargo, holding on to his power simply through a towering dignity. Diane Lane, Jurgen Prochnow, and Joan Chen are on hand to lend superior support, as well as Rob Schneider, who did a great job in giving the movie the touch of comedy needed to truly capture the original comic book. This film even has the great Scott Wilson on board as Pa Angel, a leader of a criminally mutated family that dwells in the "cursed earth."

Amazon reviews got it completely wrong. Their condescending review was typical of the kinder reviews given when the film was released. There is certainly no need to "lower your expectations" to enjoy this film.

You will do just fine if you come to this picture expecting great things.

--Mykal Banta

I went to see this movie when it first came out, and I have to say that I never understood why so many people hated it.

All I can think of that that they misread Stallone's portrayal of Judge Dredd. Stallone is purposely playing Dredd as a comic book character (which, after all, is what Dredd was), and therefore not a role laced with any deep meanings. Although there are some deeper scenes (Dredd speaking of what happened to his best friend, and later, Dredd and Rico meeting in the Janus complex), for the most part, the movie is just one big comic book. The movie is what it is, and what it was intended to be; a fun, action sci-fi comic. To expect anything else is unfair.

There are some good roles here, too. Stallone purposely goes two-dimensional as Dredd, which is perfect (Dredd sees only black and white when it comes to the Law). Rob Schnider was also pretty good, not too annoying, not invisible. I recall my friends and I were impressed with him in this one. Diane Lane is foxy, and Max von Sydow lends credibility as mentor and Chief Judge.

There were some interesting ideas on display here, and the execution of those ideas is handled quite well. Perfect? Well, no, but not bad, either.

The effects are a bit dated. Most are CGI, and while impressive for their day, they are very "videogame-looking" compared to more recent CGI work. Still, if you want a fun sci-fi action picture, this is the one.

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I love this film, i understand most didn't like it but for what it was it was really well made. my only gripe with the blu-ray is it's still the theatrical cut! being a cinephile i do lots of research on movies i love and have read in several magazines, the fangoria that features the film mentions a harder director's cut and even has great pictures from the film that are not in the final print. with the new film Dredd coming soon it looks like this would have been a great time to to the director's cut and add back all the extra violence to the film and give us some extras. i've seen pictures where dredd's brother rico is in the lab and those cool skinless clones bust free from the chambers and attack dredd, i really would love to see those scenes, the clones were very cool and creepy looking and bet it makes a great fight/ attack scene. maybe one day fingers crossed the studios will listen to the fans and give us what we want and not just upgrade the picture and sound and give us the deleted footage, documentaries and even commentary. the film is not as bad as everyone say, at least in my opinon, you may disagree and if you do god bless you, it's your given right to disagree and everyone likes what they like.

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I have to say that I was not familiar with any Judge Dredd comics, games or had had any other contact with the character apart from this movie so I cannot compare the character to other sources. Therefore, coming from someone that did not "know" the Judge prior to the film I have to say that the movie was FANTASTIC!

There are slight hints of Mad Max and Total Recall, so the movie falls into the action/adventure/science fiction type of category, and what a major hit this action-packed movie is!

Sylvester Stallone, Armand Assante, Diane Lane, and Rob Schneider, have truly outdone themselves with their performances, which are outstanding, making this movie one of the best of its kind. The actors' great talent and chemistry clearly shows, thus providing a film that can be watched over and over again. The plot, the setting, the special effects, the battles and the costumes are all wonderful!

In short, I would definitely line up to watch a sequel!

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I'm not going to say that I hate this movie, because I don't. It's a fun movie to watch...if you're not familiar with the comic book, and you're not a purist.

Which I am both.

It's not the acting in this film; I loved it all. From Stallone's 'Jut-Out-Chin' portrayal of Dredd (IMHO, ONLY Stallone can say 'I Am The Law', and have you believe it), to Max Von Sydow's weary Chief Justice. It's not the special effects or set design, either; they got those both down pat.

The fault with this film lies squarely with the writers. They screwed up his story something fierce, and the actors made do with what they had, which they did brilliantly. It's like I always say, 'It could have been brilliant on a level unimagined...if the writers had gotten the story right'. They got several key points wrong in this film, but I'll list the top four:

One: Judge Joseph Dredd never, ever ever ever ever ever ever ever EVER took off his helmet. EVER.

Two: Judge Fargo was long dead by the time Joseph Dredd was born.

Three: It is completely forbidden for Judges to engage in intimate relationships.

Four: Since Rico was a former Judge, he should not have been in Aspen. The jail for crooked judges was called Titan orbiting Jupiter (if I remember that right...I'll edit it if I'm wrong).

I'm not saying 'Don't see this movie', because it really IS a fun ride. It only loses a star because of the accuracy of the story.

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