Dredd

Set in a grim near future, the film imagines a megacity overwhelmed by crime where the police have become the ultimate arm of justice. Judges act as judge, jury, and executioner, delivering swift punishment in the streets. The plot follows the legendary Judge Dredd alongside rookie Cassandra Anderson as they pursue a ruthless drug lord who has seized control of a towering housing block. Their mission spirals into an all-out siege when Ma Ma and her gang trap them inside, testing their training, resolve, and ability to make hard calls under pressure. The focus stays tight on action, procedure, and the ethics of enforcing a brutal form of law in a collapsing city. The film keeps a tight pace throughout.

Directed by Pete Travis with a screenplay by Alex Garland, it adapts the Judge Dredd comics created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra. Karl Urban stars as Dredd, and the helmet stays on for the duration, a visual choice throughout.

Box office performance was modest with worldwide gross around 41 million dollars. The underwhelming result contributed to it becoming a cult favorite rather than a blockbuster and helped ensure there was no immediate sequel, drawing mixed sentiment from analysts globally.

While not a blockbuster, the film earned a devoted following among fans for its grounded tone and practical effects. It also reshaped expectations for comic book adaptations by focusing on atmosphere and procedural grit rather than flashy powers. Dredd became a touchstone for a darker, mature take on the genre.

Critics praised the lean, relentless pace, the intense visual design, and Karl Urban's performance, while some noted thinner characterization. The film wrestles with themes of authoritarian justice, social decay, and the moral ambiguity of vigilante methods, presenting a blunt critique of a society that bets on punishment over reform today.