Dead Man's Shoes Reviews

Manoeuvring the revenge western template into modern day North West England, Shane Meadows' achieves this with voracious execution, deriving its palpable imagery and themes from fervently violent predecessors "Taxi Driver" and "High Plains Drifter", all the while measuring up to such influences even if it doesn't quite match them. Immersing the viewer from the outset in the plot with vague, somewhat limited establishing scenes or characterisation, Meadows operates on a guerrilla model in terms of cinematography, direction and script, allowing for an intimate, deeply affecting yet entirely stark and disturbing story to unfold at a progressive rate that never seems to override the integral aspects of the narrative. Meadows matches the hastened pace of the plot with low-budget, confounding savagery; certain pivotal scenes are aligned with the dark, powerful and uncompromising edginess reminiscent of early Martin Scorsese, albeit without adversely effecting its consummate self-contained volatility and originality.

Meadows composes a non-conforming thriller that defies its genre with verve, ensuring its more emotive values are communicated to the audience with plausibility, sincerity and authenticity. Meadows, as with other filmmakers who graduated onto higher production values, proves that budgetary constraints do not dictate the overall quality of a visual narrative; in fact, the vitality and potency of such alternative British films has rarely been replicated outside of independent cinema. Visceral, vicious and vital, "Dead Man's Shoes" fuses an alchemy of drama and thriller elements and succeeds in its attack on human evil in all of its forms, culminating in a harrowing final scene that fully hammers home the film's intent: revenge is not always sweet and the cold, clinical details illustrated in each of the vengeful executions are not gratuitously depicted, with our laconic, taciturn avenger being a dehumanised soldier who may or may not be motivated in his quest for retribution by his military training rather than out of deep love for his afflicted brother. Ingrained in the film's DNA is a sense of ambiguity and at its centre lies a tenuous morality, both of which are imperative for Meadows to imbue his characters with a semblance of three-dimensional development. "Dead Man's Shoes" is a short, sharp, shocking piece of independent cinema that firmly restrains, holding you in its grasp until releasing you at the final aerial shot.

Bloody and brilliant, "Dead Man's Shoes" is an emotional rollercoaster from beginning to end. The 57% rating on Rotten Tomatoes is both a crying shame and a sacrilege, because this is Shane Meadows' masterpiece- a film that transcends the revenge genre, delivering a heart-pounding, intense story that lets events unfold in a way that is anything but simple.

Richard (Paddy Considine) returns home from military service with no intention of living a nice quiet life and settling down. The target of his rage- a low-rent drug gang that did some terrible things to his borderline simple brother Anthony (Toby Kebbell) some time before.

After Richard threatens a drug dealer and later gives him an unsettlingly twitchy apology, the gang of thugs suspect that ol' Anthony's brother might be a few screws short of a tool box, but don't know how to react. Sonny (Gary Stretch,) the most sadistic and smartest (and in a group like this, that's not saying much) takes charge as best as he is able, but they are no match for Richard's cool-headed brutality and military training.

This is when things get decidedly more ambiguous. What exactly happened to Anthony? What parts of Richard's viewpoint are unreliable. When he faces the thug who has broken off from the gang and raised a family, Richard grows less and less sure of himself, leading to a shocking conclusion that rivals the majority of thrillers in it's freshness and great writing.

I'm not exaggerating when I say that Paddy Considine's performance here is one of the best acting jobs I've seen. He makes Richard thoroughly believable and doesn't stoop to any tough-guy cliches. What Richard lacks in size, he makes up for in calm, calculated violence. His performance is powerful and a testament to lesser-known actors who seem to slip through the cracks all too often.

Toby Kebbell, who gets overlooked all too often is also very good as Anthony, a simple-minded fellow whose naivete proves to be dangerous as he navigates a rough area without his older brother, who he looks up to, to protect him. He is very believable playing a mentally retarded character, and doesn't overplay his hand or make his character a ham-fisted caricature.

The other actors never match up to Considine's ferocious portrayal of a vengeful loner, but they do fine on their own. There's a scene between the reformed drug dealer and his wife that is very powerful and moving, and the thugs do good job as their drug-hazed obliviousness turns to fear.

There is also some humor (mostly derived from the stupidity of the antagonists) and some tender moments between Richard and his brother. "Dead Man's Shoes" proves there is still some smarts left in the thriller genre, and boy do I love it for that. I benefits from a smart script and a blistering performance from Paddy Considine. Watch it, and you will not be wasting your time. I didn't waste mine.

How come it took me so long to discover Shane Meadows?!? I just saw ‘ This is England’ a few weeks back and I found it pretty amazing and this time again, Mr Meadows quite blew me away. This flick is a really different beast though. First of all, I was impressed by the directing and cinematography. Indeed, there were some simple shots but so perfectly composed, it was just really beautiful to behold. Then, you have the movie itself. It must be one of the most original and heartbreaking thrillers I have seen in a while. Even though I might enjoy a Hollywood thriller from time to time, they never really impress me because they are usually based on some cheap theatrics. Even the twist at the end, which is something that always annoys me to death, worked really well here because it was not set there just to give one last surprise look on the viewers face, it was set there to underline, reinforce the strength of this tale and it worked like a charm. The funny thing is that I usually don’t care about those vengeance flicks because I really don’t like the ideas they preach (An eye for eye, violence is fine as long as you are avenging your loved ones,….) but I really appreciated the way they treated this genre here. There is absolutely no joy here, no catharsis, just mayhem, madness and suffering, even at the end. To conclude, after only watching 2 of his movies, Shane Meadows is quickly becoming one of my favorite British directors, this movie is heartbreaking, unsettling but also really good and it is definitely worth a look.

Filmone! A tratti crudo, crudele, vendetta ghiacciata, grondante di vendetta e rabbia, ma anche determinazione ed attesa del giusto ritmo di massacro. Grandi gli attori nella loro semplicità, magistrale lo spastico che sembra realmente tale, spaccato di una Inghilterra (o similia) nella sua parte più depravata, stupida ed inutile. Specchio di azioni che possono compiere i deficitari quando in gruppo, violenza gratuita sul debole compiuta senso un senso, questa pellicola è thriller, senza esserlo, horror, senza esserlo, splatter senza esserlo, ma racchiude in sè tutto il meglio di questi generi. Ne consiglio la visione, ne vale la pena, lo dice anche Marco.

"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. Rarely has director Meadow displayed a darker side in his filmmaking. Here he gives full vent to the potentially violent compulsions that lurk within all of us. Dead Man's Shoes is a superlatively efficient, brutal, hard-hitting, stripped-down creation of vigilante cinema.

The story is extraordinarily straightforward, yet this simple plot is conveyed in a gut-wrenchingly effective manner. Richard (Considine) has spent much of his life looking after his mentally-challenged brother Anthony (Kebbell) in the Midlands in England. Richard then joins the army and is shipped away for several years of service. Years later, Richard is a disaffected soldier who returns to his homeland. Revenge is the sole thought on his mind. He wants to dish out vengeance to a local group of druggies who abused his brother. At first Richard wishes to scare the miscreants by stealing their possessions and utilising paint for a laugh. Following these harmless warnings, Richard starts to get serious. He begins to elaborately and gruesomely execute these local tough guys as flashbacks reveal the full extent of his Anthony's mistreatment.

Dead Man's Shoes contains little in the way of director Meadows' trademark provincial humour; nevertheless the film embraces his distinctive signature. This isn't an Americanised version of Britain, occupied with hard-nut gangsters pretending to be Goodfellas. Instead the hustlers presents are benefit-scammers and dole moles that live in semi-detached houses, flick through grotty magazines, dress improperly and flog poor quality gear.
The depiction of contemporary England pulls no punches. It's a grotty, uncompromising picture with a depressing atmosphere. This raw revenge flick is essentially a slasher that revolutionises the genre. No longer do we have brainless Friday the 13th-style deaths with impeccable timing and helpless victims...we see the film prominently from the killer's perspective. Meadows humanises the victims and the killer who's pursuing them: there are palpable motives and realistic character depictions.

Meadows aimed to convey a point regarding revenge and the futility of counter-violence. Giving the killer a deep persona helps personify this message. As Richard implements his bloody revenge, he's shown searching for reason and resolution in an endeavour to obtain a spiritual counter-weight. Actor Considine, who also co-wrote the script with Meadows, manages to express this maelstrom of internal conflict with a razor-raw edge; his agitation rankles like a wound that won't close.
Furthermore, the killings are done extremely effectively. Instead of dwelling on the gore, ala Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street, the gore is used sparingly. Meadows relies on suspense and realistic acting instead of gory deaths that look stupid but reward the gore-hounds. If you're searching for a gory flick, look elsewhere. This is an innovative slasher that disregards the clichés and creates a provocative social commentary. The result is a thoughtful, possibly controversial horror film unlike anything preceding it.

Dead Man's Shoes is a naturalistic horror/thriller with much of Meadows' customary techniques in evidence. At times there is improvised dialogue to further solidify the film's realism. It almost feels like documentary footage as it oozes haunting pragmatism in the compelling images. It's a low-budget feature and by golly it does feel like it at times. The audio mix in particular sounds so naturalistic that it sometimes never feels like an official movie. Meadows' approach, which was to make the film outside a studio system, allows him freedom to do what he wants. He doesn't have studio heads hovering around him, paranoid about a scene and begging him to remove it. On top of this, the confronting flick is blessed with a melancholy and atmospheric score. It's overbearing at times, but this increases the film's emotive qualities. Throughout the entire film, the music sets the tone. The music is particularly moving and effective during the flashbacks or at the mere mention of Anthony's name.
It's truly a knockout movie that will stun you with its unfathomable power.

Perhaps Meadows' sole mistake was that the improvised dialogue occasionally felt quite awkward and unbelievable. However, whenever Considine appears he forms a magnetic centre around which the others can happily orbit. The acting skills exhibited by Considine are amazing. He made his searing film debut in the 1999 Shane Meadows film A Room for Romeo Brass. Since then, he's reached the status of one of England's best actors. His performance here is just amazing. Never does he tread a wrong foot or strike a false note. In a sense, his character is England's answer to De Niro in Taxi Driver.
Toby Kebbell's character is subject to some confusion. Many features relating to Kebbell as the mentally-challenged brother are open for interpretation. Perhaps in a slasher this is slightly out of place. Still, Kebbell's performance is impeccable.
The rest of the supporting cast carry out their duties. While being stalked by Considine's Richard, their fear is palpable. They are realistic characters that are played extraordinarily well by a capable cast of relative unknowns.

Overall, Dead Man's Shoes is proof that the British film industry is still alive and thriving. The film was literally made on a zero-dollar budget. With talent like this behind the camera making films on a budget like this, there's a bright future for both contemporary cinema and British filmmaking. The film may occasionally seem generic and predictable; nevertheless the film cleverly transcends its genre and it emerges as one of 2004's best movies. It's powerful, intense, thrilling and unbelievably riveting.

9.1/10

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.