DEAD MAN'S SHOES (2004)
Label: Second Sight Films
Region Code: B
Rating: Cert. 18
Duration: 90 Minutes 3 Seconds
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1)
Director: Shane Meadows
Cast: Paddy Considine, Toby Kebbell, Gary Stretch, Stuart Wolfenden, Neil Bell, Paul Sadot, Seamus O'Neil, George Newton
British revenge-thriller Dead Man's Shoes (2004), directed by Shane Meadows, stars Paddy Considine (At World's End) as a former British soldier Richard who returns to his depressed hometown of Matlock, Derbyshire, a melancholic village where he discovered that in his absence that that a group of low-life drug peddlers have been tormenting his mentally disabled teenage brother Arthur (Toby Kebbell, Alexander).
The thugs include Sonny (Gary Stretch, Savages), Herbie (Stuart Wolfenden, TV's Coronation Street), Soz (Neil Bell, Dune: Part One) Tuff (Paul Sadot), Big Al (Seamus O'Neil, Sightseers) and Gypsy John (George Newton, Control).
Upon returning he haunts the group, at first uncomfortably hanging around the periphery of their activity, drawing attention to himself in a quietly intimidating way, putting the guys on edge, then starting a pressure campaign of psychological intimidation, before exacting his violent revenge in a deeply disturbing manner, which involves invading their private spaces and drugging them with a debilitating amount of speed and hallucinogens that he slips into their tea kettle before revealing himself, and carrying out his visceral and psychologically twisted vengeance.
The film is melancholic and deeply psychologically intense; there's a slow burn visceral-ness and uneasy energy the permeates every scene, making it an absolutely hypnotic watch. Paddy Considine turns in a powerhouse performance, his character is just simmering with a barely concealed, grief-fueled anger, coming off as somewhat disturbed individual himself as he deals with issues of regret, guilt and trauma, which eventually escalates into a full-blown rage, donning a creepy military-issue gas mask as the bodies start piling up.
The naturalistic performances are quite wonderful, scenes of the gang hanging out and jawboning about pornography feel authentic and lived-in, it actually makes you sort of like the blokes a bit, well before what is revealed to have transpired involving Richard's teen bother. They see themselves as badass criminals, but who are in reality are really quite buffoonish, which is further symbolized when they pile into a ridiculously tiny Citroën 2CV, which gives it the effect of overcrowded clown car. The defacto leader is Sonny played by Gary Stretch, a former real-life boxer turned actor who musters some low-level thug menace for sure, he's the scummy cream of the low-level criminal enterprise, but even he is literally made a clown of when Richard sneaks into his home and paints his face like a literal clown while he sleeps. It's just painfully obvious that he and his misfit band of wannabe hooligans are out of their league when stacked up against Richard, a former government trained military killing machine for eight years, they just don't stand a chance.
At the start of the film, we see Richard and his younger brother Arthur wander into town from the highlands, taking up temporary residence in a dilapidated barn on the moors on the edge of town, arriving on their mission of vengeance. Richard is deeply disturbed himself, clearly so enraged by the treatment his teen bother and the treatment visited upon him at the hands of the cruel thugs, that there can only be one way that this all ends, deadly violence. However, even that expected path of revenge defies obvious expectations, ending on a note that is full of despair and pain, with Richard realizing that he has become the very monster that he has set out to destroy.
Audio/Video: Dead Man's Shoes (2004) gets a region B locked Blu-ray from Second Sight Films, shot on Super-16mm, but the original film elements have not been able to be located despite an extensive search, so this Blu-ray is sourced from the dated existing HD digital master with additional clean-up and restoration done by Second Sight Films. The film is presented in 1080p HD framed in 1.78:1 widescreen, the source looks solid, appearing clean but nit scrubbed, maintaining the cold melancholic grit of the film, the greens of the highlands and filth and grittiness of the low-end drug dealers' hangouts look terrific, when the acid kicks in the heightened lighting scheme looks solid. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with optional English subtitles. The track is clean and well-balanced, dialogue is always east to understand, the room acoustics sound natural, and the score is nicely represented. This was a first-time watch for me, and I was surprised to hear my city's own, specifically Tucson band Calexico and French transplants Amor Belham Duo B C, who called Tucson home for a number of years. Other stellar tracks include bits from Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Robyn Hitchcock and Aphex Twin,
This is a well-stocked edition from Second Sight Films, starting off with an archival Audio Commentary with Shane Meadows, actor Paddy Considine and Mark Herbert, as well as a new Audio Commentary with director Shane Meadows and producer Mark Herbert, which is terrific, with some years having passed between the last commentary and this one they've had more time for reflection and have plenty more plus to say, and really they do not rea third track, a new Audio Commentary by Andrew Graves and Jon Towlson.
We also get a 33-min Quite a Journey: a new interview with Shane Meadows and Mark Herbert, 16-min A Very Fine Line: a new interview with actor Toby Kebbell, 19-min The Right Horses: a new interview with actor Gary Stretch, and 17-min Made an Impact: an interview with director of photography Danny Cohen.
Disc extras are rounded out with 29-min of Deleted and Alternate Scenes, the 25-min archival making of doc In Shane's Shoes, 27-min Short Film: Northern Soul, plus a 4-min Danger Mouse and Jemini Music Video. The single-disc standard edition arrives in a black keepcase with single-sided wrap featuring new artwork by Krishna Shenoi.
Special Features:
• NEW! Audio Commentary with director Shane Meadows and producer Mark Herbert
• NEW! Audio Commentary by Andrew Graves and Jon Towlson
• Audio Commentary with Shane Meadows, actor Paddy Considine and Mark Herbert
• NEW! Quite a Journey: Interview with Shane Meadows and Mark Herbert (33:10)
• NEW! A Very Fine Line: Interview with actor Toby Kebbell (16:26)
• NEW! The Right Horses: Interview with actor Gary Stretch (19:01)
• Made an Impact: an interview with director of photography Danny Cohen (16:52)
• Deleted and Alternate Scenes (28:45)
• In Shane's Shoes (25:00)
• Short Film: Northern Soul (27:09)
• Danger Mouse and Jemini Music Video (3:30)
Dead Man's Shoe's (2004) is a brilliantly raw-nerved British thriller with plenty of realistic grit that gives is some serious weight, a real gut-puncher. The force-of-nature turn from Paddy Considine is tremendously effective, and the flick really captures that occasionally dark and seedy underbelly of small towns, while also being quite a tense examination of revenge in the service of guilt, grief and regret.
Screenshots from the Second Sight Blu-ray:
