Judge Dredd (1995)
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A dedicated law enforcement officer in a crime-ridden metropolis is framed for murder by his own psychotic half-brother.
The story
In the 22nd century, Earth has become a deadly wasteland called the Cursed Earth, where survivors live in overcrowded Mega-Cities plagued by rampant crime. To maintain order, a corps of Judges acts as police, jury, and executioner. In 2139, in Mega-City One, the strict Judge Dredd assists a rookie in quelling a block war. During the raid, Dredd apprehends a hacker named Fergie. However, Dredd's life is upended when he is framed for murder by his half-brother, Rico, who seeks to seize control of the city using an army of superhuman clones.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In the 22nd century, the Earth is a wasteland where survivors reside in crime-ridden Mega-Cities governed by Judges. In 2139, Judge Dredd assists rookie Judge Hershey in a raid, apprehending a hacker named Fergie. Dredd reveals he previously executed his best friend, Rico, for a massacre. However, Rico escapes from prison, disguises himself as Dredd, and kills a reporter, framing Dredd for the crime. Dredd is convicted by the Council of Judges and sentenced to life imprisonment. During transport, Dredd and Fergie are attacked by the cannibalistic Angel Gang. Dredd's mentor, Chief Justice Fargo, intervenes and dies, revealing that Dredd and Rico are clones from the secret Janus Project. Fargo warns Dredd that Judge Griffin is conspiring to reactivate the project. Rico begins terrorizing the city, and Griffin convinces the Council to clone a new Judge army. Rico eventually eliminates the Council and replaces the DNA sample at the Janus lab with his own to create clones with free will. Dredd, Fergie, and Hershey infiltrate the lab. Rico offers Dredd a chance to lead the clones, but Dredd refuses. The lab explodes, destroying the clones. Dredd defeats Rico at the top of the Statue of Liberty. Dredd's name is cleared, and he declines the offer to become Chief Justice, choosing to remain a street Judge.
- First release year
- 1995
- Runtime (minutes)
- 96
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Danny Cannon
- Writers
- William Wisher Jr. · screenplay; Steven E. de Souza · screenplay; Michael De Luca · story; William Wisher, Jr. · story
- Cast and characters
- Sylvester Stallone · Judge Dredd; Armand Assante · Rico; Diane Lane · Hershey; Rob Schneider · Fergie; Joan Chen · Vartis Hammond; Jürgen Prochnow · Judge Griffin; Max von Sydow · genetic 'father'; Maurice Roëves · Warden Miller
- Genres
- science fiction; action; dystopian; superhero; cyberpunk
- Themes
- dystopian society; cloning; miscarriage of justice; law and order
- Tone and mood
- violent; satirical; dark
- Premise and plot tags
- dystopian; sci-fi; action; superhero; cloning
- Source material / true-story basis
- 2000 AD comics Judge Dredd
- Franchise connections
- Judge Dredd
- Content notes
- cannibalism
- Reception
- The film was a box-office disappointment and received negative reviews from critics, though its visual style, effects, and action were praised. It is often considered one of Stallone's worst films.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 22% · review count: 55 critics; CinemaScore · score: B · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Saturn Awards · Best Science Fiction Film · Nomination; Saturn Awards · Best Special Effects · Nomination; Saturn Awards · Best Costume · Nomination; Saturn Awards · Best Make-up · Nomination; Golden Raspberry Awards · Worst Actor · 1995 · Nomination; Stinkers Bad Movie Awards · Worst Actor · 1995 · Win
- Production trivia
- Danny Cannon created a mock-up poster for a Judge Dredd film in 1987.; Stallone and Armand Assante wore blue contact lenses to match Max von Sydow.; The film had to be re-cut and submitted to the MPAA five times to get it down from an NC-17 to a R rating.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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