Judge Dredd

Directed by Danny Cannon, Judge Dredd transpires within a dystopian future and follows Sylvester Stallone’s title figure as he attempts to clear his name after being framed for murder. It’s larger-than-life subject matter that is, at the outset, employed to entertaining, briskly-paced effect by Cannon, as the filmmaker, armed with William Wisher Jr. and Steven E. de Souza’s screenplay, does a superb job of establishing the Blade Runner-like atmosphere and Stallone’s tough-as-nails central character – with, in terms of the former, the movie benefiting substantially from its eye-popping and impressively memorable set design. The propulsive bent of the picture’s eventful narrative certainly enhanced the watchable atmosphere, and it’s clear, too, that Armand Assante’s scenery-chewing, mustache-twirling turn as the villain remains an ongoing highlight within the proceedings. There’s little doubt, then, that Judge Dredd‘s overall impact is affected by a protracted third act that contains one or two action beats too many, with the lack of streamlining paving the way for an underwhelming final stretch that concludes the proceedings on a far-from-stellar note – which confirms the film’s place as a relatively decent sci-fi endeavor that could (and should) have been better.

**1/2 out of ****