filmbore pick of the week - Dead Man's Shoes

Dead Man's Shoes

Director: Shane Meadows

Screenplay: Paddy Considine, Shane Meadows 

Starring: Paddy Considine, Toby Kebbell, Gary Stretch

Year: 2004

Language: English

UK rental release: February 2005

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Those of you have been following my blog so far will realise that I'm a bit of a fan of two of British independent cinema's key ambassadors: Shane Meadows and Paddy Considine. This week, I want to promote another of their fine collaborations and one that I always state is my personal favourite from Meadows, Dead Man's Shoes

Richard (Paddy Considine, A Room For Romeo Brass, Submarine, Hot Fuzz) is a non-submissive military man, on leave and returning to his Midlands home town. He's spending time with his mentally challenged brother, Anthony (Toby Kebbell, RocknRolla, Control) who is a little reluctant to leave the shack they are currently residing in to venture into the local town centre due to the experiences he has had. A gang of men involved in supplying drugs in the area used to take advantage of Anthony, and this has fed a ball of resentment and anger which has crept into the spine of his brother Richard.

What started as innocent fun and games, unabashed with dealing out peer-pressured invites to Anthony, the group of men in question, headed by leader Sonny (Gary Stretch, Savages, Alexander) mock Anthony further and further, until he is just a target for their own amusement. The belittlement evolves to uncontrollable level, and Richard is determined to return the favour.

On a particular visit, Anthony points out one of the gang members, Herbie (Stuart Wolfenden). Richard watches him with a steady glare, steeled by a determination to intimidate. At first, he shocks Herbie into submission with a brief but powerful insult. Our offended leaves, only to be greeted by our protagonist yet again, but this time Richard aims to apologise for his outburst in a somewhat forbearing but creepy manner. Herbie is a little suspect of the soldier's intentions, and suspects he is Anthony's brother looking to get revenge.

As it dawns on Sonny and the rest of the crew that Richard is back on the scene, the start to take a more defensive view of the situation, pensively on the lookout for the army hero returned home. Richard is resolute in his mission however. As a gas mask wearing vigilante, he intends to embark on a one-man war on the lads that pushed his brother over the edge. His pranks evolve into more brutal, frightening beast as he takes each of them on a journey to hell through violence, overdoses and mental warfare. 

But there is something deeper fuelling this furious soul. As we follow his journey with him, and further understand the events that led to his attack on Sonny's mob, a harrowing truth will reveal itself.

Many people are now aware of Shane Meadows work thanks to his incredible British milestone film This Is England and the excellent follow-on TV series of the same name. Some of even familiar with his earlier works like TwentyFourSeven and A Room For Romeo Brass (check the review here) but this picture has slipped under the radar for some. If you haven't seen this film, I urge you to rent out immediately, as it's quite possibly his most unique output so far.

The core element to this different approach is that Dead Man's Shoes at its heart is a pure thriller; not that this particular film category hasn't reared its head in his other movies but none have infused this impacting vibe more so than this film in particular. It's success as a thriller is partly thanks to its companionship to two of Meadow's most chosen genus' for his pictures: drama and humour. As this pair of stalwart genres settle you in until your guard is down your hit with the crashing sudden shocks in the quick, fearful actions of Richard, awakening the inner fear that you require to engulf yourself in the piece. Moods can suddenly change in an instant, raising your thrill levels after being comfortably swaddled in the tale's sincere humour and down-to-earth drama.

The suspense that embarks on a journey through your synapses is assisted by some great filming choices through. Eerie, grey scaled flashbacks are presented to you to slowly unravel the occurrences that have driven Richard to his actions. Not only do these vignettes serve as dividers through the whole piece, segmenting the overall story into a number of sketch length acts, but they are joined with a blend of handheld shots, location based camera work and one-off artistic pastiches of the local urban environment. Meadow's has always been very selective of his filmic arenas, keeping to the East Midlands (including my hometown of Nottingham) on a regular basis. The same can be said here, and he has kept his location choices to a minimum, allowing you to find familiarity with the surroundings as the story moves forward.

Nothing propels this tale with more gumption though than our cast, especially from out lead. This is, undoubtedly, Paddy Considine's finest performance to date, even beating his commanding and consuming presence in My Summer Of Love. A unforgettable key scene in Dead Man's Shoes demonstrates this point: when Sonny and the lads spot Richard on the side of the road, he confronts him. It's here that Sonny lays down the law to Richard in an attempt to dilute his attempts on them. With patience and diligent attitude he waits for Sonny to finish his intimidation only to throw it straight back to him in a brief speech of sheer terror and confidence. This delicate use of the script and refined portrayal is what makes Considine the actor he is. His on-screen spirit is unparallelled in any picture he is in, and this is the best example you will ever see of this.

However, this doesn't deter from the clear ability of the rest of the cast, who are also superb. The gang themselves are a wonderfully interesting bunch of real individuals. They aren't caricatured in any way but somehow manage to establish their own position in the tale within the first few moments they are on screen. Again, Meadows has brilliantly allowed his performers the space to breathe and display their talent in a natural fashion which centres story from beginning to end.

But the other stand-out performance here is from our supporting actor. Toby Kebbell is subtly genius as handicapped Anthony. This is not an offensive portrayal either, as he is kind to the mental state of his character and gives him a balanced personality of softness and gentle love for his older protective brother. Now, he too is becoming a recognisable face thanks to some memorable takes on some of his more recent roles, but his touching execution of a difficult role to pull-off is the keystone to a small film that has many parts to consider and hold together.

The end has received some mixed comments from many reviewers, but I ask that you take a step back and observe the choices made from both the major reveal and the outcome in the final scenes. They are brave and just when considering the whole story and the actions of our lead and it's difficult to see the picture end in any other manner than the way it did. Yet, I still feel that you will be bowled over by the content in this piece...an independent British film with a great cast, natural filming, fantastic script and a concussive story that will bewilder and amaze you. 

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