Judge Dredd

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Armand Assante, Diane Lane, Rob Schneider, Joan Chen, Jurgen Prochnow, Max Von Sydow
Directed by: Danny Cannon
Rating: R
Genre: Action
1995

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: In the near future, most of the earth has been ravished except for several "megacities." In each of the cities, the law is upheld by judges- policemen and women whom are both the judge, jury, and executioner. The most famous judge is Judge Dredd (Sylvester Stallone), who makes bad guys quake when they hear his name. Soon, Dredd finds himself framed for a murder committed by his old friend and now enemy, Rico (Armand Assante). Now Dredd must clear his name, and save the city from total chaos.

Review:

Tim: This is a typical Stallone shoot-'em-up action flick. Here you can find numerous typical action cliches: for instance, both the lead good and bad guys have their turn to be shown first from the back, and then slowly- ever so slowly, then turn around to reveal their faces- thrills and chills. Furthermore, there are explosions, people killed, and of course, Stallone jumping and running and shooting amid all of this mess. You'll notice many similarities between this movie and other films it blatantly rips off- it is surprising similar to Stallone' 1993 film in which Schneider had a cameo, Demolition Man. Both films have the big climactic fight while waiting for some people to thaw out (Demolition Man it was convicts in a cryogenic state, Judge Dredd has an army of clones waiting to be created). The whole film feels as if it was created by a bunch of guys who got in trouble in high school or college for plagiarism.

Another bad aspect of this film is that some of the dialogue is the phonetic equivalent to fingernails scratching a chalkboard, as you grimace to hear the actors compromise their integrity by speaking such corny lines. The dialogue does have its moments. Stallone's "I am the law" line is delivered with such enthusiasm that you can't help but liking it. Rob Schneider has a number of very funny lines to keep the hardcore action from being shoved down your throat.

Schneider actually brings a good deal to the film, from his humorous lines to his comedic timing and gestures. When one of Schneider's comedic lines are delivered, Stallone, who most people know have very little humor in his body simply gives Schneider a look, grunts, and then they go back to killing people and blowing shit up.

Now, I've been pretty harsh with this movie, but I'll have to admit, its nice at times to sit back and watch a truly mindless film, letting your thoughts float from stuff in your own life to the mindless violence on screen. This film can definitely deliver that to you. Stallone is his typical hardass hero, and Assante isn't too bad of a villain, if you can get past his seemingly over-enthusiasm to play a very stereotypical villain. If you're looking for anything new or something you've never seen before, then by all means, pass this film up. However, if you realize you haven't had your daily dose of mindless violence, then pop this sucker in, and enjoy.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Demolition Man, Assassins, Blade Runner