Boxingmad Reviews

Dead Man's Shoes (2004)

Just bloody brilliant!

[10/10 · 4 October 2005]

This is one of those films that sticks in the mind for all the right reasons. Great acting, great script, and utterly gripping. Paddy Considine was outstanding as the psychotic ex-paratrooper hell-bent on revenge for the death of his brother Anthony, played by Tony Kebell. Kebell's portrayal of the retarded sibling is just terrific. The supporting cast were on form too. I'm still both haunted and mesmerised by that long black & white sequence leading to Anthony's death and Richard's lonely face at the bus stop, quietly grieving for his little brother. Together with the music, it's powerful stuff. I've never seen Shane Meadows' other work but after seeing this, I'll definitely keep an eye out for his next movies.

A Bridge Too Far (1977)

A Quick Summary

[6 November 2004]

This film tells the story behind the battle of Arnhem in September 1944, and the events surrounding it. "Operation Market Garden" was supposed to shorten the

Second World War by several months, and open up several routes by which the

Allies could move into Germany. The mission was a total failure, and resulted in the deaths of several thousand soldiers.

The film is well-made, and features an all-star cast. There are some terrific performances from Dirk Bogarde, Sean Connery, Gene Hackman and Ryan

O'Neal, as well as others like Anthony Hopkins, James Caan and Robert

Redford. You get a feel of just what went wrong, and the reservations of senior officers, who thought the task amounted to a suicide mission. It turned out to be so.

It's a long film but worth watching, in particular it highlights the tenacity and courage of the British Paras, who held out at Arnhem for several days. This

resulted in the Germans nicknaming them "The Red Devils" after their heroic

effort. It's well worth the watch.

Screen Two: Contact (1985) Season 1, Episode 1

Silence Is Golden

[4 April 2004]

This film is unique in that it has hardly any dialogue in it at all, yet it makes for a gripping film. It follows a routine patrol of British paratroopers in Northern Ireland. The great thing about this is that there is no musical score, no special effects, thus adding to the realism of life as a British soldier in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. The Parachute Regiment had a very rough ride there, starting with Bloody Sunday in 1972, when 13 civilians were gunned down by soldiers from the Paras' 1st Battalion. Thus they became a sought after target for the IRA. This film shows a patrol in South Armagh, more commonly known as "Bandit Country". You can't help but feel for the lads as they patrol the countryside. When they engage in a shoot-out with terrorists, the gunfight has no fancy effects with it, so you get some idea of how it was. When they lose a soldier, there is no Oscar nominated crying or wailing, just what you would expect from battle hardened soldiers trying to come to terms with a loss. If you want to see how life was really like in the British Army in Northern Ireland, watch this film.

For Queen & Country (1988)

A bleak future after the army

[15 February 2004]

This film is a harsh reality of life after the army. The British Paras are an elite fighting force, but they are there to kill the enemy. You don't really have a trade when you leave, except how to jump out of planes & kill. However, the British Army today has an excellent support sytem, unlike the mid 1980s when this film was set. This is highlighted in the movie as we see Reuben returning after leaving the Paras, during which he did a tour in Northern Ireland and fought in the 1982 Falklands war. We see him struggling to get any meaningful employment until he links up with a criminal friend. His mate Fish, who was wounded in the Falklands, is living on disability allowance, and is suffering too, being in a wheelchair. It is a sad, gritty look at life at the lower end of the scale in a run-down urban council estate in London. Having served his country with pride as a British paratrooper, he is left with nothing except the prospect of drifting into crime.