Dredd (2012)

Dredd (2012)

Dir. Pete Travis / Alex Garland (uncredited)

The Dredd film deserved more success than it got. It drew comparisons to Dir. Gareth Evans' The Raid (2011), with both films set inside of a single tower block, but I've not seen The Raid, so for me Dredd felt fresh and interesting.

The filmmakers made some minor changes to the comic's aesthetic, (e.g. the Lawmaster, Lawgiver, and iconic Judge costume each got a slight redesign, mostly for practical purposes), but crucially it remained faithful to the essence and core values of its esteemed comic source.

Even the poster art (pic right) takes inspiration from the page - recreating the stance of a towering Judge statue, a symbolic reminder for the citizens of Mega-City One that Judges are the ultimate law, perhaps most notably used to that effect in the classic America (2008) story.

The casting, too, seems to me to be a testament to the intent of the people behind the scenes that made it all happen. Instead of hiring whoever the most-affordable current hot-property was in Hollywood at the time, the three main players seem to have been hired because they were, quite simply, the best persons for their respective roles.

Actor Karl Urban might not look like an obvious choice to play Dredd, but in costume he's a revelation, with a chin that does the role proud. His overall Dredd-ness is reminiscent of artist Brain Boland's version of the character, as opposed the two-dimensional steroid-guzzling human meat-machine kind that the previous filmed version chose to portray.

I was happy about Olivia Thirlby being cast as Judge Anderson, even before seeing the actress in costume, and she did even better than I was hoping for. Miss Thirlby was excellent as the rookie Judge, the sympathetic to human failings PSI who gets forged in the crucible of one day in the field with the toughest lawman of all. Lesser in rank, she was Dredd's equal in screen presence.

And finally, Lena Headey as Ma Ma brought an intensity and strength to the hardened, merciless, over-the-top Mega-City One perp that was very much the actress' own. Like Urban and Thirlby, she successfully communicates her inner-feelings with just a glance, without needing words.

Urban should probably get the most kudos, in that respect, given that he remains helmeted for the duration; as a long-time fan of the comic version of Dredd, I feel that's as it ought to be!

The walled Mega-City itself, a sprawling metropolis of over 800,000,000 people (each one a potential perp) is a character, too, albeit one that doesn't get as much screen time as it probably would've done if the budget had allowed for it. It's not as sci-fi looking as its comic book counterpart, but the flip side of that is that the streets feel more real, more like the world we know and the one we fear it could easily become. The overcrowding that leads to unrest — the fragile unrest that bubbles over and becomes dissent and violence against the system that it blames for its situation — feels ingrained in the very architecture. The anti-authority slogans that adorn walls and shutters reinforce the underlying hatred of the Judicial system, an armed response with the power to be judge, jury and executioner on the spot. It's a world in which the response to violence is more violence, a self-perpetuating cycle of moral self-destruction.

Events take place in Peach Trees, a pretty name for a concrete housing block that's a breeding ground for crime and narcotics use. In the comic it was possible for a citizen to live their whole life without ever needing to venture outside of their block. Dredd and Anderson enter it in the course of normal duty, unaware that its upper floor houses the ruthless Ma Ma.

I loved the unobtrusive references to 2000 AD's past that are placed throughout, such as the block names (e.g. O'Neill and Sternhammer), the fatties, the Hottie House store, the 'Kenny Who' graffiti, and a nod to the Big Meg's most famous wall-scrawler, Marlon Shakespeare.

Dredd's a man of few words, but sometimes those words can be taken contextually in more than one way. I'm referring to the black humour that characterises his comic book equivalent almost as much as the uncompromising nature and adherence to the law; it, too, is well-represented.

The ending succeeds in being both a satisfying conclusion to the Peach Trees story and a sturdy platform for more stories to launch from, but no sequel was made, sadly.