Dead Man's Shoes (2004)

Posted : 9 months, 3 weeks ago at Sep 12 23:40

"God will forgive them. He'll forgive them and allow them into Heaven. I can't live with that." English filmmaker Shane Meadows shrugs off the cynical, bittersweet working class standpoint evident in his preceding films, such as Once Upon a Time in the Midlands, and interchanges it with a savage, gripping, genre-defying, sinister contemporary tale of violence and retribution: an austere examination of small-town revenge. Very rarely do modern filmmakers challenge a mainstream genre. In this day and age, we feel as if we've seen it all. Director Shane Meadows develops adequate courage to craft a crime/thriller/horror/slasher flick as a social commentary. Dead Man's Shoes blends riveting horror, supernatural elements, dark comedy and social realism in relation to modern-day England. Rare...Read more

Posted : 2 years, 4 months ago at Feb 22 15:01

Some may think the British film industry is dead, but Dead Man's Shoes stomps all over that theory. A raw and surprisingly affective tale of small town revenge, Shane Meadows film breathes new life into a genre that's riddled with un-originality. Paddy Considine tears up the screen as 'Richard', a former soldier who returns to a Derbyshire town to avenge his retarded brothers tormentors. Every facial expression, every line of dialogue, his body language I believe wholely. The films tag line reads "He's In All Of Us". Paddy's performance will definitely stay with me for a long time to come.

*this reviewm was originally written in 2004.

EDIT: In fact it has. I can safely say Considine is the most talented British actor this side of 70 working today.

Rating : 8/10