Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

The first must-see film of the year.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

"Judge Minty" is a 27-minute (live) action short film from 2013, so this one will have its 5th anniversary next year already. It is the first filmmaking effort by writer and director Steven Sterlacchini and his second is following these days. But back to this one here, it is basically about a judge on a rampage, so the connection to Judge Dredd (not just the one in the title) is undeniable. Besides that, however, it is just a pretty generic action short film that offers very little in terms of story-telling. The deficits there also have as a consequence that the actors (including lead actor Edmund Dehn) just don't have the material to shine here unfortunately. It does not even ooze coolness sadly, which could have elevated the material a bit like in one or the other Tarantino film. So yeah with the quality of this one, I cannot say I am too curious about Sterlacchini's next works, but I sure hope he managed to step up his game in the past couple years will keep doing so in the years to come. Final note: The very last scene reminded me a bit of Batman vs. Joker. I don't recommend the watch. Thumbs down.

This short film, made by a set of fans, is a very pleasant surprise.Don't expect shakiness and jerky camera work, this is actually very well put together with some great special effects. Granted it's obviously done on a very low budget, and it shows, but never denies to be otherwise. Despite that, it works very well without falling into a trap of B-movie unintended hilarity.A fine lead by Edmund Dehn in this short and dark judgement story in the 2000AD world. The film is an exercise to bring out a short story from the Dredd franchise that would appeal to many without the need for elaborate sets & complicated stories.It's a very good effort. With a bigger budget, support and time it could have been expanded to something greater but just bear in mind that this is a small scale product.I liked it, and wish the producers of this all the best in the next efforts which I'll keep an eye out for.

I admit, there are far too many short films that I never seem to have the time to watch, between all of the feature length films, indie flicks & television series there is little room left. After catching this inspiring fan film "Judge Minty" I have made a vow to make some time in the future to ensure that I don't miss out on gems like this. Oddly enough, what drew me in like a moth to a flame was the poster art, the rickety wooden sign exclaiming "NO LAW 2000 Miles". I didn't even check the runtime or plot summary, just went straight into it. The only drawback I found while watching was the unfortunate end. I could have easily sat through another hour based on the framework already laid down.The story chronicles the retirement phase of one of the long standing judges of Mega-City, Judge Minty(Edmund Dehn),a secondary figure to Judge Dread from the comic book series. After an incident of slight indecision in the field almost cost him his life, he is given a choice where he can either live out his days teaching at the Academy or he can leave the city and walk alone, out into the lawless anarchy of Cursed Earth, most commonly referred to as "the long walk", a perilous journey in which he will live out the remainder of his days battling lawlessness in the post-apocalyptic wasteland of cursed Earth. A place teeming with dangerous threats & great evils, ranging from sub-human beings with the power of telekinesis, to savage creatures who have the ability to go unseen to the naked eye(Predator nod). And of course not to forget the man who made all of this come together so well, writer/director Steven Sterlacchini, way to go in making a very entertaining & visually stunning piece of film with limited resources.I wasn't a particularly moved by any of the previous Judge Dread films, but this seems to carry more of a message than its predecessors, to go along with the uber-violent, chaotic action sequences that the "Dread" films carry. Best of all, it's FREE, a "for non-profit film" which is now available on youtube and various other streaming sites. So if you happen to have a half-hour to kill, this is undoubtedly a very cool way to burn it. -^-8.5/10-^-

The world of Judge Dredd is not a happy one. This has been proved three times now - Judge Dredd (1995), Dredd (2012) & Hardware (1990). All of which display the same kind of dystopian society with the worst crime rates around and the only law enforcement around are Judges from the hall of justice. But the question is, did anyone ever think of what would happen when a judge loses his sense of right and wrong? This is what happens to the character of Judge William Minty.Judge Minty is a veteran at the hall of judges and has served a long time on the crime-ridden streets of the old world. However, it is when he begins to wonder if he can change the people he fights by giving them second chances, that ends up making him unreliable. It is because of this, he is forced to leave and begin the long walk among the cursed earth. This is where things become interesting because so far in film (based on this particular comic), there hasn't been a story that focuses on judge that is forced to walk the cursed Earth.For a short film, this plays out very strong. Everything from the production design to special effects is good for the budget that it had. Steven Sterlacchini's direction (as well as co-written screenplay) was well executed. The dialog is very thought provoking as well as disheartening because how relateable Judge Minty is a character. The actor who plays Minty, Edmund Dehn, is the reason why the role of Minty feels more human than most characters. Dehn isn't a Hollywood blockbusting actor. He's a normal man playing an unknown role. What makes him contrast to Judge Dredd is just how Dredd doesn't think about his actions. Dredd follows the law and that's it, no questions asked.The music provided by Phil Oates was decent too. It did convey the right tones but perhaps not as much as I had expected. That's only because the material that Minty focused on is a touchy subject so I thought the music would have been the same too. But what makes this film stand out from others is that it focuses on the possibility of mending poisoned minds. Is it worth the time to help? Or is it easier just to do things the old fashioned way? Again, it's a short film so I'm not giving a full score but still, a very good film.By shifting the focus to a more human level, Sterlacchini's extended play short film brings up some controversial questions and makes the viewer wonder if what is being done today is right or not, for the same issue.