Judge Dredd (1995)
42%RT Audience Score: 30%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Judge Dredd wants to be both a legitimate violent action flick and a parody of one, but director Danny Cannon fails to find the necessary balance to make it work
Judge Dredd is a futuristic hardware show that’s perfect for teenage boys who love noise, fake firepower, and mindless fun. While it may not be mistaken for a good movie, it accomplishes numerous visual feats that are worth watching. From the gruesome makeup effects for the denizens of the Cursed Earth to the flying car chases across the neon cityscapes, Judge Dredd is a resounding success in terms of production. However, it’s important to note that what was once a satire on fascism now looks like an apologia for it. So, if you’re looking for a fun and mindless action movie, Judge Dredd is the perfect choice. Just don’t expect it to be a masterpiece.
Production Company(ies)
Paramount Pictures, Lucasfilm,
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for continuous violent action
Year of Release
1995
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital DTSS DDS Dolby
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 12.35 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Jul 2, 2002
Genre(s)
Action
Keyword(s)
starring Sylvester Stallone, Armand Assante, Diane Lane, Rob Schneider, Joan Chen, Jürgen Prochnow, directed by Danny Cannon, written by William Wisher Jr., Steven E de Souza, produced by Charles Lippincott, Beau Marks, action, R rating, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Owen Gleiberman, Todd McCarthy, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Caryn James, Mick LaSalle, directed by Danny Cannon, produced by Charles Lippincott, Beau Marks, MPAA rating, violent, futuristic, crime, Judge Joseph Dredd, Judge Hershey, Herman “Fergee” Ferguson, Dr Ilsa Hayden, Judge Griffin, maniacal ex-Judge Rico, signature brand of justice, police, criminals, murder, chaos, order, violent metropolitan sprawls, decaying earth, prison sentence, tables turned, parody, legitimate violent action flick, balance, critic reviews
Worldwide gross: $113,493,481
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $223,169,024
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 637
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 24,336,862
US/Canada gross: $34,693,481
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $68,219,868
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 934
US/Canada opening weekend: $12,291,536
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $24,169,583
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 558
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $90,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $176,972,386
Production budget ranking: 161
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $95,299,630
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$49,102,992
ROI to date (est.): -18%
ROI ranking: 1,490
Armand Assante – Rico
Diane Lane – Judge Hershey
Rob Schneider – Herman “Fergee” Ferguson
Joan Chen – Dr. Ilsa Hayden
Jürgen Prochnow – Judge Griffin
Director(s)
Danny Cannon
Writer(s)
William Wisher Jr., Steven E. de Souza
Producer(s)
Charles Lippincott, Beau Marks
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (54) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (12) | Rotten (42)
The movie, by the end, practically seems intent on destroying itself.
July 6, 2010 | Rating: C+
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
A thunderous, unoriginal futuristic hardware show for teenage boys.
March 26, 2009
Todd McCarthy
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Directed without inspiration by Danny Cannon from a stupid script by Michael De Luca, William Wisher, and Steven de Souza.
April 25, 2007
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
This slam-bang Stallone vehicle never quite delivers what its confident, fizzing visuals seem to promise.
February 9, 2006
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Although it is full of noise and fake firepower, Dredd simply lies there on the screen until the final scenes.
May 20, 2003 | Rating: 1.5/5
Caryn James
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
Usually engaging and sympathetic, Stallone is blank and tongue-tied here, an immovable slab in the midst of 95 minutes of gunfire, explosions and Gothic excess.
June 18, 2002 | Rating: 1/4
Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
…With a great aerial chase scene, lots of cool guns and gadgets, and a 30’s serial mood, this Judge Dredd is above the law when it comes to mindless fun….
May 30, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
Eddie Harrison
film-authority.com
Accomplishes numerous visual feats, from the gruesome makeup effects for the denizens of the Cursed Earth to the flying car chases across the neon cityscapes.
September 14, 2020 | Rating: 6/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
As a piece of pure production, [Judge Dredd] needs to be heralded as one of the best achievements of the ’90s. Everything about the film’s texture is a resounding success.
June 11, 2020
Drew Dietsch
Giant Freakin Robot
What was once a satire on fascism looks like an apologia for it. That may be the inevitable price of turning a medium which is cheap and subversive into one that is expensively conformist.
December 14, 2017
Quentin Curtis
Independent on Sunday
’90’s Stallone action movie guilty of nonstop violence.
November 9, 2012 | Rating: 3/5
Brian Costello
Common Sense Media
It stands no chance of being mistaken for a good movie.
September 26, 2012 | Rating: 2/4
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing…
Plot
In the year 2139, the Earth has changed into a virtually uninhabitable place called the Cursed Earth. All of the Earth’s population have crowded into the cities across the planet, now known as Mega-Cities. The crimes in these Mega-Cities became so violent and so powerful, that the regular justice system was powerless to contain, then it collapsed completely. However, a new justice system came from the ashes, there were three justice systems in one (police, jury and executioner), they were called Judges. In Mega-City One (formerly, New York City), there was a Judge, named Joseph Dredd, who was the toughest and most stringent Judge in history. One day, he was charged with murder, and was tried and sentenced to life in prison because of it.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Rob Schneider plays Herman “Fergee” Ferguson in Judge Dredd.
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