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Judge Dredd, directed by Danny Cannon, is based on a comic strip that first appeared in the British science fiction anthology 2000 AD. The story is about a violent future in which judges have the powers of police, judge, jury, and executioners. Dredd and the other judges arrest, sentence and even execute criminals on the spot. Judge Dredd was created by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra. As you can see, the source material has potential to be both entertaining and to make some commentary on society. British magazine Empire actually named Judge Dredd the seventh greatest comic character and IGN ranked him 35th in the top 100 comic book heroes.

But if its critical reaction (15% rating at Rotten Tomatoes) or box office performance ($34 million domestic) are to be believed, then it's safe to say that the movie dropped the ball. But if you're anything like me you can still find Judge Dredd, which also stars Diane Lane and Rob Schneider, quite entertaining.

Like in the comic book, the movie is set in a violent future where judges have become police, judge, jury, and executioners. One of the most notorious judges is Dredd (Stallone) Dredd is the loosest of cannons. He takes matters into his own hands, bringing his own violent brand of justice to the streets...but man does he get results! Little does he know, though, that a corrupt judge is teaming up with a sinister villain (are there any other kind?) to frame and bring down Dredd. That villain is Rico (Armand Assante), a former Judge turned psychopathic murderer. The plan is to frame Dredd for murder. Because Rico and Dredd were both actually part of some sort of genetic experiment to create the perfect judge, they share the same DNA. This makes it quite easy for Rico to frame Dredd for murder. So now it is up to Dredd to clear his name, put up with Rob Schneider, mack it to Diane Lane, and of course serve justice.

But let's face it, these movies are basically set up to show us how tough the star is and in that respect, Stallone brings the goods. Since the movie rests squarely on the shoulders of Stallone, I think a good place to start is with his performance. Yes, it's true that the words "embarrassing and awkward" have been tossed around by critics discussing Stallone's acting in Judge Dredd. But I think badass is a better word for Stallone's performance. He is a man of a few very monotone words. He delivers them like he means business. He doesn't show a lot of emotion, but that's because he is a cold and hardened character. But most important, he kicks a lot of ass in this movie. Actors like Stallone built their careers out of being tough and beating people up and that's exactly what he does in this movie. Also, he looks kind of cool in the Judge Dredd gear.

Although all of the other characters play second fiddle to Stallone's Dredd, the supporting cast is quite strong too. Assante does a great job as the villain, Rico. He is not only intense but has a vulnerable side. Schneider plays his sidekick/comic relief role in his usual annoying manner and like always he overstays his welcome. But because this is Stallone's show, he dials back his Scheniderness quite a bit, so he's a little more tolerable. Like most actors of his kind, Stallone is kind of old school and this means his movies have some underlying sexism. Because of this, Diane Lane doesn't get to do much besides being the damsel in distress who falls for Stallone. But she does look good doing it.

But as much criticism as this movie gets, I believe it should have gotten at least as much praise for its set designs. The city really
does look great and it makes the movie have a kind of epic feel to it. The buildings loom over the city and show how little the people are. It captures that dark, cold and intimidating feel that this future is supposed to have. The movie also has great action and special effects that hold up remarkably well.

It's not a cinematic masterpiece, but I believe that - at least partially - the reason why it got such bad reviews is because people had made up their minds about the movie before seeing it. Judge Dredd was released at a point in Stallone's career where instead of cheering for him, people were waiting to see him fail.

Another reason why I really like this movie is that even if you consider it a failure or success, you have to agree that it at least took chances instead of playing it safe. It might not have been as profound as it believed itself to be but you have to give it some credit for trying. The movie actually does try to make some statements about how quickly people will abuse power. It also comments on the importance of keeping those with power in check.

If you see it with an open mind instead of rolling eyes, you might enjoy Judge Dredd for the cool action movie it is. And I will always support a movie that takes a shot and misses over one that is content with going down the beaten path.

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