Dead Man's Shoes (2004)

A disaffected soldier returns to his hometown to get even with the thugs who brutalized his mentally-challenged brother years ago.

Director:

Shane Meadows

Writers:

Paddy Considine, Shane Meadows

Stars:

Paddy Considine, Gary Stretch, Toby Kebbell

4 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paddy Considine	...	Richard
Gary Stretch	...	Sonny
Toby Kebbell	...	Anthony
Stuart Wolfenden	...	Herbie
Neil Bell	...	Soz
Paul Sadot	...	Tuff
Seamus O'Neill	...	Big Al (as Seamus O'Neal)
Jo Hartley	...	Marie
Paul Hurstfield	...	Mark
Emily Aston	...	Patti
George Newton	...	Gypsy John
Craig Considine	...	Craig
Matt Considine	...	Matthew
Andrew Shim	...	Elvis
Arthur Meadows	...	Mourner

Storyline

Richard returns home from military service to a small town in the Midlands. He has one thing on his mind: revenge. Payback for the local bullies who did some very bad things to his brother. At first his campaign employs guerrilla tactics, designed to frighten the men and put them ill at ease. But then he steps up his operation, and one by one these local tough guys are picked off by the terrifying angel of vengeance that Richard has become.

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Plot Keywords:

revenge | torture | army veteran | anger | brother brother relationship | 

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Taglines:

He's in all of us.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The ruined castle featured is Riber Castle, which housed a small zoo in its grounds from the 1960s, featuring mostly British wildlife. It is located on a hill about 600 feet above Matlock, in Derbyshire, England. The zoo closed in 2000 and the castle lay empty until it was bought by property developers, who converted it into apartments.

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Goofs

Anthony is wearing Adidas Popper Pants in the film, including the flashback scenes. If the flashback scenes were from eight years years ago, it would have been 1996. Adidas Popper Pants weren't released until 1997.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Richard: [narrating] God will forgive them. He'll forgive them and allow them into Heaven. I can't live with that.

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Connections

References One Million Years B.C. (1966)

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Soundtracks

Vessel in Vain
Written by Bill Callahan
Performed by Bill Callahan (as Smog)
(p) Domino Record Company
© Rough Trade Publishin

User Reviews

one of the best British films of the last decade!

I was starting to give up on British films. They all seem to be too considered, too focus grouped, too controlled by the marketing mafia. So it was so very refreshing to see a movie that has the inspired spontaneity so common in Japanese cinema, but with a very British story. Shane Meadows uses characters from his own past as source material, and co-writer Paddy Considine (Richard) based part of the story on family history, so we have a film that has authentic characters and authentic, semi-improvised dialogue. The revenge thriller format has never seemed more sophisticated. Richard's calculated derangement is balanced by the thuggish banality displayed by his targets, whose crimes initially seem more like misdemeanors until the last act. This movie is well paced, laugh out loud funny, and darkly menacing as it proceeds inexorably to its grim conclusion. If only more British films were like this, we might even have a film industry. It shows that the only way to make good films in the UK is to do it behind the studio's backs!

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 October 2004 (Ireland)

Also Known As:

Dead Man's Shoes

Filming Locations:

Bonsall, Matlock Bath, Derbyshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

GBP695,393 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,825, 14 May 2006

Gross USA:

$6,408

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$203,450

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warp Films, Big Arty Productions, EM Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White (flashback scenes) Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1