In a futuristic metropolis, a law-enforcement officer and his rookie trainee become caught up in a high-stakes conflict with a vicious drug lord. A film by Pete Travis, starring Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Wood Harris, Langley Kirkwood, Junior Singo, Luke Tyler, Jason Cope, Domhnall Gleeson, Warrick Grier, and Lena Headey.

Directed by British filmmaker Pete Travis from a screenplay by Alex Garlan, DREDD is a sci-fi action film based on the comic strip of the same name and its title character created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra.

In this sprawling metropolis set in a future America, known as “Mega City One,” the sole authority is a group of law enforcers called Judges.

The story follows a veteran Judge named Dredd who is tasked with evaluating a new recruit, Anderson, a rookie with psychic abilities. The two are dispatched to a 200-story slum called Peach Trees to investigate a murder. Upon their arrival, they discover three bodies that have been injected with “Slo-Mo,” a new drug that slows a user’s perception of time to 1% of normal. After raiding a drug den, Dredd and Anderson arrest one of the men responsible, who happens to be a high-ranking member of a local gang.

The drug lord who controls the tower, a ruthless woman named Ma-Ma, discovers the Judges have one of her men. In response, she locks down the entire building, seals all exits, and orders her gang to kill the Judges at any cost.

The screenplay, written by Alex Garland (who also wrote 28 DAYS LATER), is brilliant. The visual effects and cinematography are amazing, and the film truly showcases what 3D can do. Even the smoke looks incredible, and the 3D slow-motion water splashes are awesome. It’s a film I highly recommend watching in 3D.

DREDD was theatrically released in the United Kingdom on 7 September 2012.