Judge Minty

It’s no secret I loved last fall’s Dredd – I felt it was one of the year’s best films, and thought it a real tragedy that it flopped in theaters, though it’s fantastic DVD sales give me hope we haven’t seen the last of Judge Dredd in the cinemas. Seriously, rent it if you haven’t seen it already.

Even if we don’t see a sequel in the multiplex, a recent fan film shows that there may be a future for Judge Dredd and Mega City One outside of Hollywood. Made entirely by fans, on a micro-budget, I am pleased to present, Judge Minty.



Judge William Minty has spent his entire adult life policing the violent streets of Mega-City One – and now he’s slowing down, getting soft in his old age. When a lapse of judgement almost costs him his life in a firefight, he knows that it’s time to quit. Rather than retire to clerk in the Hall of Justice or teach in the Academy, he chooses to take the Long Walk – a voluntary exile into the radioactive ruins of the Cursed Earth, bringing law to the lawless for the rest of his days. It’s a harsh hellish landscape inhabited by mutants, psionics and bandits, but Judge Minty will teach them the meaning of the law – or die trying.

To put it simply, this is no mere fan film, but a fantastic short film very worthy of standing next to Dredd as a fantastic glimpse into a cinematic Mega City One, despite the fact it worked with an even smaller budget than, a true microbudget marvel. If Dredd grasped the character of Judge Dredd and gave a long glimpse into the dystopian state of the world, Judge Minty thrives in showing us it’s post-apocalyptic side, giving us a shockingly detailed look into the Cursed Earth and it’s murderous inhabitants. Director Steven Sterlacchini and his crew have worked miracles, their obvious passion for Dredd shinning through every detail, and Edmund Dehn does a terrific job as Judge Minty, bringing the old lawman to life with only a number of lines at his disposal. About my only complaint is that once again, no one said my favorite line from Judge Dredd lore…



I really will never get tired of that.

As a whole, I cannot recommend you watch Judge Minty enough, and seeing as it’s free and embedded in at the top of the article, you have no reasons not to. It’s a fantastic little film that once again proves the devotion of the Judge Dredd fandom and the potential for further delving into the universe on the silver screen.

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