7. Karl Urban
Sylvester Stallone's loud, hollering performance in Judge Dredd has resulted in countless
YouTube tributes and parodies, and while there's a certain perverse enjoyment to derive from his turn, it isn't particularly befitting Judge's comic book legacy. It played to the very different, incongruent style and tone that deviates entirely from the source material, and this is one complaint in particular that the filmmakers of Dredd have sought to rectify. Obviously, few will argue that Karl Urban is a more reliably competent actor than Stallone, though given he isn't exactly a household name, not everyone was bowled over straight away. Nevertheless, Urban ultimately did deliver the goods, giving his best gruff, low-pitched growl, while not venturing into the hammy staginess that often defined Stallone's performance, and, well, the vast majority of the actors in that film. Urban delivers a far more measured, restrained turn, keeping true to a film that wholly wants to steer clear of high-camp and needless exaggeration. He is a choice, I imagine, that will be proven wise to most Dredd fans when the film releases this week.