Not particularly topical, but this is a personal favourite of mine and a film you really all need to watch and since my Dad's had the DVD here for like two years and just totally forgot it existed, I decided to take it out, dust it off and give it the attention it deserves. This'll be my third viewing, but it's been years since I have seen it. So I'm just as excited as I hope you are. Enjoy!
You just know this was directed by Shane Meadows, he is so stylised and not like in the use of filters, or slow motion or whatever else. Just something about the feel of his films, it just feels like a Meadows work. It's hard to explain, but if you watch his movies you'll start to see what I mean.
Dead Man's Shoes isn't just a spectacle of Meadows' unique style, it is almost in many ways a showcase for Paddy Considine, he hasn't quite gone the places I'd hoped he would have by now. But he is a favourite actor of mine and his performance here is easily his best, pure brilliance. For all the raving about Considine in this movie though I really feel that Toby Kebbell deserves a mention, if not praise as the best performance in the movie. He plays the disabled brother of Considine's character with respect and he does it so convincingly I thought he genuinely was disabled. I think Kebbell is an absolutely fantastic actor, he is a joy to watch in everything I've seen him in. The chemistry between them is incredible as well, I could really believe they were brothers.
Really, I don't even want to tell you what it is about. I can tell you it is a revenge movie but any more than that will simply ruin the experience and I don't want to ruin that for you any more than this review might.
What I didn't notice so much before is this film is slow, really slow. Pretty much the entirety of the first half is just set up and it really shouldn't take you nearly half the movie to set up. Then after that the film gets on with things and is great and then the ending, for the most part just felt like padding. At least we have Kebbell and Considine's performances to enjoy throughout, if I'd have any negative criticism of the film, then it'd be that it is poorly paced. Plus was the whole practical joke, scaremongering really necessary if Considine was just gonna kill them right after anyway?
What I also find strange, and this isn't necessarily a negative criticism, is that we follow the 'baddies' for more of the movie than we do the 'heroes' and with the way Meadows' constructs the film, I'm often confused as to whether we're supposed to take Considine as the villain (something Considine's character questions himself), despite knowing what the others have done... I much prefer my revenge movies more cut and dry. Plus this is an English movie, so if you're expecting gratuitous violence, yeah you won't find it here. It's brutal without being indulgent.
I must say though, this film really doesn't hold up against multiple viewings. The impact is just as powerful on the third viewing, but it's been years since I watched this film. In that time I've experienced a LOT of cinema. And ultimately the writing just doesn't feel as tight as I remember and the budget limitations are a lot more noticeable.
So do I recommend this? Yes! The first viewing of this film is an experience you'll never forget. Meadows is a master director, Considine and Kebbell give some absolutely breathtaking performances, just don't expect the brilliance to carry over fully with each viewing.
Think About It!
-Locke
Dead Man's Shoes isn't just a spectacle of Meadows' unique style, it is almost in many ways a showcase for Paddy Considine, he hasn't quite gone the places I'd hoped he would have by now. But he is a favourite actor of mine and his performance here is easily his best, pure brilliance. For all the raving about Considine in this movie though I really feel that Toby Kebbell deserves a mention, if not praise as the best performance in the movie. He plays the disabled brother of Considine's character with respect and he does it so convincingly I thought he genuinely was disabled. I think Kebbell is an absolutely fantastic actor, he is a joy to watch in everything I've seen him in. The chemistry between them is incredible as well, I could really believe they were brothers.
Really, I don't even want to tell you what it is about. I can tell you it is a revenge movie but any more than that will simply ruin the experience and I don't want to ruin that for you any more than this review might.
What I didn't notice so much before is this film is slow, really slow. Pretty much the entirety of the first half is just set up and it really shouldn't take you nearly half the movie to set up. Then after that the film gets on with things and is great and then the ending, for the most part just felt like padding. At least we have Kebbell and Considine's performances to enjoy throughout, if I'd have any negative criticism of the film, then it'd be that it is poorly paced. Plus was the whole practical joke, scaremongering really necessary if Considine was just gonna kill them right after anyway?
What I also find strange, and this isn't necessarily a negative criticism, is that we follow the 'baddies' for more of the movie than we do the 'heroes' and with the way Meadows' constructs the film, I'm often confused as to whether we're supposed to take Considine as the villain (something Considine's character questions himself), despite knowing what the others have done... I much prefer my revenge movies more cut and dry. Plus this is an English movie, so if you're expecting gratuitous violence, yeah you won't find it here. It's brutal without being indulgent.
I must say though, this film really doesn't hold up against multiple viewings. The impact is just as powerful on the third viewing, but it's been years since I watched this film. In that time I've experienced a LOT of cinema. And ultimately the writing just doesn't feel as tight as I remember and the budget limitations are a lot more noticeable.
So do I recommend this? Yes! The first viewing of this film is an experience you'll never forget. Meadows is a master director, Considine and Kebbell give some absolutely breathtaking performances, just don't expect the brilliance to carry over fully with each viewing.
Think About It!
-Locke
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