I get that, at first, they used the phony defcon test to keep the rest of the judges out, but as soon as Dredd called in and reported what was going on, it looks like they only sent a couple of judges to check it out who just stand around outside the door. Knowing the strength of the gang they're up against, why aren't they blowing a hole in the doors by that point with vans full of heavily armed judges?
shareDEFCON is to protect against nuclear missiles - it is the tightest defense possible and it was taken off the grid so it could not be overridden. By the time Dredd gets to get outside and relay what the situation is the movie is almost over, when he finally leaves it it swarming with Judges outside and he gives his evaluation of Anderson to the Chief.
shareMaybe the police force is trying to keep a low enough profile, figuring that a large armed presence could potentially invite further hostilities, being in an area with no love for the law.
shareYeah, I guess this is the only explanation that works, if you emphasize the fact that the judges are under-strength compared to the gangs and don't have the manpower to police everywhere. But, I mean, to save two judges from a couple hundred gangsters, all they send are two more judges? I would think they care enough about their own to temporarily call in all judges in the area to converge on Peach Trees.
shareI would say there's something fishy about that too, the lack of law enforcement response. It makes me think there is more corruption going on at police headquarters than what is let on. The two back-ups themselves seem ripe with abuse trying to take advantage of the situation outside the scope of their authority. Fits the Dredd dynamic of a chaotic world.
shareWhat I don't like about that is it diminished the premise of Dredd. The judges are supposed to be the judge, jury and executioner, they should not have been corrupted. The Stallone's Judge Dredd movie was already about this. Corruption of the incorruptible. Which is boring. It's also the plot of Minority Report.
Let just make a Dredd movie where the judges are right and the villains are wrong. Making the judges and their organisation corrupt (again and again) is just uncreative.
it's a bad movie,
don't even bother analyzing it
It's rough around the edges but its meant to be, a world wrought with violence with no foreseeable solution in sight. Sometimes, the best has to be made out of a bad situation.
What did you find detracting from the movie? My main gripe is the fact we're suppose to be seeing people in dire circumstances. Yet, when we see people's personal quarters in the apartment complex, the place is clean and tidy. Food is present and there's amenities such as a fridge. It looked comparably better than most living spots that could be called "hole-in-the wall" places. Doesn't exactly sell the setting of being in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
OP (and probably you) are just bad viewers.
The place is swarming with judges at the end of the film. Clearly the intent was to bring a lot of backup, not just two judges. Those two judges were probably the only ones in the area. They say early on in the movie that they can only respond to like 5 percent of crimes out there. And judges probably get attacked and need backup fairly often.
Not to mention that the defense system is active. It's not just a few "doors". The whole point of the lockdown is that those defenses are for wartime, not small arms.