Dead Man’s Shoes (2004) | DVD Review

UK director Shane Meadows breaks out the gas mask and manages to put together a revenge film with some great confrontational moments even as it struggles to overcome a plot that strains credibility.

Dead Man’s Shoes is the story of Richard (Paddy Considine), an elite commando, and Anthony (Toby Kebbell), his mildly retarded younger brother. When Anthony suffers at the hands of a local gang whom he grew up with in his brother’s absence, Richard comes home to find answers and seek vengeance.

The scenes involving retribution are genuinely thrilling. Richard is in your face and makes absolutely no attempt to hide who he is or what his intentions are. In fact, he’s such an uncompromisingly angry badass that he actually manages to make you uncomfortable just by the sheer viciousness in the way he confronts others. Yet as much as I liked the vigilante aspects of this film, the premise was just too far a stretch for me to make. Mr. Meadows describes the film’s core theme as, “Human justice, justice of the heart.” In other words, the emotional desire to avenge an injustice. On it’s surface, Dead Man’s Shoes appears to be a cut and dry tale of revenge. The twist is that it’s not love for his brother that sets off Richard’s apocalyptic killing spree, but rather his feelings of guilt and remorse for abandoning him. Sure, he’s mad at the gang, but he’s just as mad at himself. You see, Richard didn’t much like his brother either. And therein lies the film’s main problem. Anthony doesn’t talk much, he doesn’t bother anybody and really, he seems like a pretty likeable guy. A little slow maybe, but not the kind of invalid embarrassment that the film’s premise requires. On top of that, you don’t really get the sense his brother was all that badly mistreated. Okay, his gang ‘buddies’ treat him as sort of a mascot, harass and even take advantage of him, but they also get him laid for the first time with an attractive girl, give him assorted drugs and alcohol and presumably protect him… hell, even my friends don’t do that for me! Really, what happens to Anthony (and sets off his brother) just seems like more of an avoidable tragedy than anything else.

Regardless, the film has a nice overall ‘texture’. The bad guys get around by cramming into a comically decorated beetle, the bloodshed takes place among the picturesque British Midlands and the soundtrack is all mood with turns by the likes of Bonnie Prince Billy, Calexico, M Ward and others.

There’s a three way commentary with writer and director Shane Meadows, writer and actor Paddy Considine, and producer Mark Herbert. As can be expected, this produces lively banter between friends, but it also has the effect of being difficult to discern who is saying what and at times dissolves into a lack of focus. There’s also a 25 minute featurette called “In Shane’s (director Meadow’s) Shoes”. In it Meadows discusses how a violent episode in his youth led him on the path to righteousness as a film director.

The bottom line is that if you like revenge flicks, Dead Man’s Shoes is worth checking out. It’s entirely possible that you’ll feel blood is stronger than reason and Richard has more than enough reason to flip. And there’s certainly enough extras here to round out the disc and give you all the background info you’d want for this film.

Movie rating – 2.5

Disc Rating – 2.5