John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra’s popular dystopian comic-book character finally gets the movie adaptation he deserves with this unapologetically violent 3D action feature. A crisp prelude introduces the stunning post-apocalyptic setting, a crime-ridden American megalopolis several states long, and our perpetually helmeted antihero (Urban). Dredd is one of numerous ‘judges’ with the power to capture, sentence and execute those who break the law.

The shoot ’em-up plot is pure simplicity, but there’s genuine artistry behind the film’s video-game goals. The impressively lean script by Alex Garland (28 Days Later) is shorn of almost all superfluity beyond a few dud Schwarzenegger-esque kiss-offs, while Anthony Dod Mantle’s sensational widescreen cinematography harks back to the tension-inducing inventiveness of early John Carpenter. The added dimension is put to terrific use, whether in sinewy close-up or 100-storey-drop long shot. We’re a long way from Sly Stallone and Rob Schneider here. Keith Uhlich