80s.Slasher.Fan’s review published on Letterboxd:
Grief, anger, despair, Paddy Considine brings all these emotions to the troubled character of Richard, a solider who returns home to reek terrible revenge on his brothers tormentors.
The first time I watched 'Dead Man's Shoes', I expected it to be a full-on 'Saw-type' horror movie, with elaborate torture devices and gratuitous gore. But from Richard's first calm-breaking snarl at a dazed dealer of 'You ya cunt', I found myself being pleasantly surprised and enthralled by this heartbreaking tale of retribution, that's awash in grime and blood. As it mixes equal parts slasher and revenge flick, into a highly successful and unique twist on the genre.
Anchored by a startling performance by star Considine - who also co-wrote the screenplay- his influence on the script can be seen in his drawing from one of his favourite movies, 'First Blood' - the original Rambo flick - starring Sylvester Stallone as the disgruntled Vietnam vet. It's easy to draw parallels between the two: as both deal with a highly trained Army officer who has been wronged, and most importantly, both deal with the theme of achieving a sense of justice through violence.It is with regard to the method of retaliation that the two differ greatly. Where Stallone implements elaborate traps and massive machine guns, Richard goes about his bloody deeds in a low-fi manner of blades and hatchets, and a single pistol. As a stark contrast to the Hollywood method of shooting a picture like this, all the murders are quiet, barely glimpsed horrors, that still manage to shock, even without excessive violence.
Another standout is Toby Kebbell's electrifying turn as Anthony, Richard's simple minded brother, Kebbell fully immerses himself within this character, so much so that he successfully blurs the lines between performance and reality. It is crucial to the film that he evoke the intended emotion from us, so when the shocking truth of what his attackers did to him is revealed, we stand by his brother's extreme actions. Had his character been weak, or unbelievable, the entire concept of the film would have fallen apart..
Shot in a grimy, 'kitchen sink' style by Meadows, he presents the movie's villains as recognisable small-town criminals. These weak, narrow-minded wasters who feed on the wretched in society are shown as laughable scum, living in tiny, dingy flats, decorated with the odd film poster, or weed symbol. These criminals are a world away from the slick euro terrorists of 'Die Hard', or the charismatic gangsters of a Scorsese picture. They are of course the all too recognisable miscreants that we can all relate to knowing, and despising in real life.
A quiet, somber little film featuring two breakout performances, wrapped around the tightly assured direction of Shane Meadows. 'Dead Man's Shoes' is well worth your time, and remains one of my all time favourites.