Karl Urban in Dredd (2012)

Dredd was directed by Pete Travis (Omagh, Endgame) and was written & produced by Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Annihilation). Truth be told, Alex Garland is one of my favorite filmmakers working today, so I may be a little biased here, but his influence within this film is very noticeable. While this does feel very different from his recent films, it still has signature Garland feel when watching it.

Karl Urban and Olivia Thirlby in Dredd (2012)

As for the casting of Dredd, this time around, rather than having the actor playing the infamous Judge unmasked for the majority of the film, Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) now never takes his helmet off throughout the movie’s runtime. It is a nice touch that leans towards the comic’s style. It also helps to make it harder to empathize and side with him, as we only see him mouth. However, as the movie goes on the writing for his character excels and makes him more and more likable as we see him grow as a human rather than just as a killing machine.

Olivia Thirlby in Dredd (2012)

Judge Dredd’s partner in this film is Anderson, and is played by Olivia Thirlby. She is the moral compass behind most of the movie and the foil to Dredd’s “all criminals deserve death” mentality. Thirlby plays the role excellently making it easy for the audience to latch onto & relate to her character. When she is first introduced she is made to feel special with her psychic powers, but then immediately feels out of place the second shit hits the fan. Like Judge Dredd, as the film progresses we see her learn about herself, as well as the darker side of life in Mega City One. Her growth as a character feels natural and she makes for an extremely likable sidekick.

Lena Heady in Dredd (2012)

The film’s antagonist is the character of Ma-Ma (Lena Headey). She is Mega City One’s top drug dealer and crime lord, pushing her drug named “slo-mo” onto the crime ridden and poverty-filled streets. Headey plays the character with the maniacal manner of Cersei Lannister, and similarly is very easy to hate. All in all, she once again does a great job at playing another memorable antagonist.