Dead Man's Shoes (2004)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Shane Meadows

Writers:

Paddy Considine (written by) &
Shane Meadows (written by) ...

Release Date:

1 October 2004 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

He's in all of us.

Plot:

A disaffected soldier (Considine) returns to his hometown to get even with the thugs who brutalized his mentally-challenged brother (Kebbell) years ago.

Plot Keywords:

Brother | Revenge | Anger | Punishment | Home Movie Footage

Awards:

4 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Paddy Considine	...	Richard
Gary Stretch	...	Sonny
Toby Kebbell	...	Anthony
Jo Hartley	...	Jo
Seamus O'Neill	...	Big Al (as Seamus O'Neal)
Stuart Wolfenden	...	Herbie
Paul Sadot	...	Tuff
Paul Hurstfield	...	Mark
Emily Aston	...	Patti
George Newton	...	Gypsy John
Neil Bell	...	Soz
Craig Considine	...	Craig
Matt Considine	...	Matt
Andrew Shim	...	Elvis
Arthur Meadows	...	Mourner

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White (flashback scenes) | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Sweden:15 | Australia:R | Malaysia:(Banned) | Finland:K-15 | New Zealand:R18 | Argentina:18 | Singapore:M18 | UK:18 | Norway:18

Filming Locations:

Matlock, Derbyshire, England, UK

Company:

Warp Films

Trivia:

Filming took three weeks and Toby Kebbell did all his scenes in the last week.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Richard: [narrating] God will forgive them. He'll forgive them and allow them into Heaven. I can't live with that.

Movie Connections:

References Enter the Dragon (1973)

Soundtrack:

Statued

Raw and edgy.

This is not just a "kitchen sink" film. It's an thriller with an edge, a story and believable characters.

It is a fairly violent film, but that violence is given a realistic, documentary treatment, which is some ways makes it all the more shocking. There is no gore splatter, just cold, well-defined revenge. The trailer did leave me with the impression it was going to be much bloodier, but I feel that Shane Meadows got the balance right.

Paddy Considine's script is very good, and leaves enough room for the audience to be surprised at the next turn, and his portrayal of a vengeful brother is spot-on.

Provided they are happy with the lack of Hollywood polish, this is a film I'd recommend to any lovers of the thriller genre. It's well-paced and there are sufficient surprises to keep you guessing throughout.

Overall, it kept me well occupied and it gets a good 8/10 from me.