Dredd was cool and I had a good time watching it but I don't see what makes it stand out from most action movies. Dark Knight, I have to see a list of movies to see what I'd put above it, I tried rewatching and it wasn't as good as when it first came out.
With Dredd, it's very tight and very simple thus very effective. The action is coherent and brutal but also has a beauty to it, the atmosphere, the acting, the dialogue, all work together to create a world that is similar to ours but not ours. You get all you need to know about the characters involved through dialogue that doesn't feel forced and through simple actions. And having your lead character carry a movie without half of his face? That's a remarkable feat breh for any actor because it's a hard thing to do. So much of acting is in the eyes but Urban had to do it with just his voice and his mouth movements.
Dredd just works for me on every level
