Dredd - La legge sono io

Continuing my plan to watch every Sly Stallone movie in order, I come to 1995's Judge Dredd.

Plot In A Paragraph: Judge Dredd, (a blue eyed Stallone) is convicted for a crime he did not commit, and he must fight to clear his name.

Armand Assante (an actor I normally like) tries too hard and over acts awfully, but he is not alone. Diane Lane and Max Von Sydow apart, the acting is bad, bad, bad (Stallone included)

In the Dredd comics, tradition dictates that Dredd does not off his helmet, thus his face has mostly only fleetingly appeared in full, but this mean Stallone would never show his face clearly, so to placate his ego, 15 minutes in to the movie and the helmet is off. It's a shame this movie doesn't work, as Sly looks the part, and it could have been a franchise. However the ball is dropped and he must take the lions share of the blame.

In interviews, Stallone said he felt the film was supposed to be a comedy/action film, and demanded rewrites to make it even more comedic. The director and screenwriter, however, had intended a darker approach, which led to many difficulties behind the scenes.Director Danny Cannon was so disheartened over his constant creative disputes with Stallone that he swore he would never again work with another big-name actor. He also claimed that the final version was completely different from the script, due to the changes Stallone demanded.

It has a very bad reviews maybe... but trust me this is one very fun action sci fi movie... it may have some unnecessary and cheesy scenes but from beginning to end is fun and enjoyable flick. 7/10

In the future the world has been scorched and is uninhabitable. The cities are overflowing and cramped. Violence and crime has gotten to the stages that the courts and juries of the past were unable to cope. The Judges were planned to be police, judge and executioners – the ultimate law keepers. The strictest of these is Judge Dredd. However Dredd's history is revealed when his long-forgotten genetic twin escapes from captivity and kills high ranking council members. The DNA evidence points to Dredd and he is sentenced accordingly. However he escapes with hacker Fergie and returns to the city to try and stop Rico's plan for his own laws.

It's been a few years since I saw this in the cinema and I thought I'd give it another go. However I had only average memories of it – memories that were pretty close to the mark now that I've seen it again. The film starts reasonably well and has a good little bit of humour in it – the recycling bot that says `recycle waste for food, it's good for the environment and OK for you!' is my favourite! However any nice touches like this and any debate on the nature of the Judges is quickly lost in a by-the-numbers blockbuster.

The action is OK but not great and the film doesn't manage to ever really have a genuine sense of excitement or tension. Director Cannon is much better at style than substance and here he proves that again. The cartoon violence will be OK for teenagers but is too basic and undemanding for many I think. The cityscapes are quite good but a tad OTT. Bladerunner got it pitch perfect all those years ago and every film since has tried to up the ante unnecessarily.

Stallone is a pretty good choice for Dredd because of his strong chin. I didn't care less if he removed his helmet or not, but his constant speaking in catchphrases did annoy me a bit. Oh – and I've heard a life time of `law' and `court' puns and kiss-off lines. Schneider is a misjudged comedy sidekick, he isn't used well and just gets in the way. The film would have been better without his `relief' and gone darker. Assante is a strong villain and the council is full of famous faces. Lane has nothing to do as Judge Hershey.

Overall this is a cartoon for teenagers and those just looking for lots of bangs. However, even for that crowd this may prove a little basic – I wanted it to be more sophisticated than it was and be darker (but not just violent as it has been misinterpreted as here). Maybe worth a watch with a beer and pizza but the fact that we haven't been treated to a JD2 speaks volumes.

I first saw this film in Asia, and thought it was an OK action/sci-fi film (Max von Sydow gave the film his blessing). But when I returned to the U.S. shortly afterwards, I was surprised by how much the film was being vilified. And the reviews didn't seem to bear any relation to the film I saw in Asia. There seems to be an anti-Stallone lobby in the U.S., which attacks every film he makes (even some of the better ones like Cliffhanger and Assassins). I simply don't get it. He happens to have appeared in some of the best action films of the last decade or two. He still commands 8-figure salaries for every film. He lives like some kind of Olympian god. OK, so 'Get Carter' was a pale, pale (PALE) shadow of the original (though beautifully photographed!), but Sylvester Stallone is as big as Jackie Chan overseas. This might make some of you glad that you aren't overseas. It makes me glad that I am (that and the low cost of living). Keep up the good/bad work, Sly!

I'll preface this by saying that I have never read the Judge Dredd comic. That being said, I bashed this movie when my friends and I watched first watched it back in 1995 in the theater. I am now throughly eating my words. This thing is amazingly good and entertaining throwaway cheese. There is zero originality here. This is Blade Runner meets Demolition Man meets Texas Chainsaw massacre meets Superman 2 meets Star Wars Trilogy. This movie is almost a replica of Demolition Man but is tons more fun. Stallone, like in Demolition Man, plays a supercop. He's accused of a crime he didn't commit and is punished, like in Demolition Man. There are other parallels along the way. He meets a Texas Chainsaw Massacre family in his exile, with an android member who looks suspiciously like Terry Bradshaw. Armand Assante is really great as the villain, Diane Lane excels in a role that doesn't fit her and Rob Schneider is stunningly endearing as the third wheel in a party of two. Max Von Sydow and Jurgen Prochnow add their talents to give the movie a seasoned flavor. Stallone's intro is pathetic but he excels along the way. The digital effects also work themselves into the story very well. I'm stunned at how good this thing is upon reviewing it.