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Dead Man's Shoes [DVD] [2004]
 
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Dead Man's Shoes [DVD] [2004]

Paddy Considine , Gary Stretch , Shane Meadows    Suitable for 18 years and over   DVD
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (135 customer reviews)
Price: £3.97 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Dead Man's Shoes [DVD] [2004] + A Room For Romeo Brass [DVD] [2000] + This Is England [DVD] [2006]
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Product details

  • Actors: Paddy Considine, Gary Stretch, Toby Kebbell
  • Directors: Shane Meadows
  • Format: PAL
  • Language English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: 18
  • Studio: Optimum Home Releasing
  • DVD Release Date: 21 Mar 2005
  • Run Time: 90 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (135 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B0006M4S1Y
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 725 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)

Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review

Harrowing thriller about a hotwired ex-soldier (co-scripter Paddy Considine from Cinderella Man) who returns to his sleepy Midlands hometown to dole out merciless revenge upon the booze and drug-sodden hoodlums who abused his mentally handicapped younger brother (the astonishing Toby Kebbel). Director Shane Meadows (Once Upon a Time in the Midlands) doesn't shy away from delivering scenes of gripping suspense and violence, but the end result hews closer to an ambiguous meditation on the nature and effect of vengeance a la Sam Peckinpah's Straw Dogs than a Death Wish-style grindhouse effort. Taut and thought-provoking, Dead Man's Shoes is a must-see for indie film aficionados with a taste for the grittiest of fare. The DVD includes some rollicking commentary by Meadows, Considine, and producer Mark Herbert; an intriguing and heartfelt featurette on Meadows and his own violent past as a teenage skinhead in 1980s England, from which he drew inspiration for this film; and an alternate (and somewhat less satisfying) final scene. -- Paul Gaita

Special Features

Commentary with Shane Meadows, Paddy Considine and Producer Mark Herbert Deleted Scenes & Extended Takes Alternate Ending ‘In Shane's Shoes’ Documentary Danger Mouse Music Video Graphic novel animated sequences- ‘Northern Soul’ – a short film by Shane Meadows with music by Clayhill Hidden Extra - Commentary Out-takes

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Customer Reviews

135 Reviews
5 star:
 (94)
4 star:
 (24)
3 star:
 (6)
2 star:
 (8)
1 star:
 (3)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (135 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

73 of 75 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars "They're all dead. I executed 'em.', 31 Aug 2007
By 
M. J. Pucci "Big Riff" (Milton Keynes, UK) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Dead Man's Shoes [DVD] [2004] (DVD)
It seems almost pointless to add to the numerous reviews of this DVD, the majority of which are, quite rightly, gushing in their praise of Shane Meadows' fourth - and best - picture about a brother taking revenge on a gang of small-town lowlifes. But the quality of Dead Man's Shoes cannot be over-stated, and personally I found this to be one of the most moving and impressive feature films of recent years and as such feel compelled to recommend it further.

Paddy Considine, recently seen in Simon Pegg's comedy cop caper, 'Hot Fuzz', plays Richard - a former soldier who returns to his sleepy hometown in the Midlands with his younger brother Anthony (Toby Kebbel) in tow. The pair are on foot, and the reasons for their return are initially unclear. However, what quickly becomes apparent is the fact that Anthony is mildly mentally disabled; he is also extremely uncomfortable at being back in town. Fortunately, the steel-nerved Richard is more than willing to act on his brother's behalf...

The way the tale is told is superb - black and white flash-backs depicting the fateful events leading to Richard's vengeful and violent actions are interspersed with the often comical exchanges between the would-be victims. Considine's performance is colossal: Richard is possessed of a spine-chilling calm and a singularity of purpose that evokes awe and admiration in equal measure. Kebbel, meanwhile, is perfectly cast in his role - capable as he is of portraying Anthony with a sympathetic but wonderfully understated charm.

This film strikes the perfect balance between fantasy and reality; it is dark and psychological, visceral and violent and it moved me to tears on more than one occasion. However, it also made me laugh uproariously - I mean, really, what more could you ask for?

Matt Pucci
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34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A bleak, powerful and utterly affecting modern masterpiece., 9 July 2005
By 
Jonathan James Romley (Dublin, Ireland) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: Dead Man's Shoes [DVD] [2004] (DVD)
Dead Man's Shoes is a typically British take on the territory of films like Straw Dogs, Death Wish and Last House on the Left, with director Shane Meadows and actor Paddy Considine offering up a reflection of callous violence and searing redemption - shot through with a gritty realism and a stark streak of dark comedy - which will eventually give way to one of the most emotionally crippling final acts ever committed to film.

Beginning with a montage of super-8 footage of the two protagonists as children - inter-cut with their older incarnations wandering across a desolate field to the strains of alt-country favourites Smog - the film immediately sets up a dark foreboding that will cast a shadow across the rest of the film. The story is simple, following a discharged soldier who returns to his hometown after an absence of eight years to get revenge on the gang of local thugs who viciously tormented his younger mentally handicapped brother while he was away. Looking at it on paper, the plot could have easily stemmed from the most shallow and manipulative 80's action blockbuster, with Meadow's making allusions to the first Rambo film, as well as Get Carter and the films aforementioned. However, anyone who's seen Meadows' previous films, most notably, Twenty-Four Seven and A Room for Romeo Brass, will be aware of his style of filmmaking... which often involves scripted scenes that are beautifully composed by the cinematographer, juxtaposed with handheld improvisation sequences featuring non-professional actors, or actors with limited experiences.

Unlike Hollywood revenge dramas such as Rambo, Death Wish and various other projects, Meadows and Considine don't paint the characters as good and bad, or black and white, instead, they offer equal shades of both qualities to both the avenging Richard and the local thugs. This means that as well as feeling sympathy for Richard and his brother, we also feel sorry for the thugs, who here come across as amiable losers, not too dissimilar to the kind of characters you could find in a Ken Loach film. The use of dark humour, or naturalistic humour, which is characteristically British (finding humour in even the most absurd situations because you're not sure how to react, etc) work very well in these early scenes in establishing the thugs and also in creating an atmosphere that eases us into the film before Meadows' hits us with the more shocking and abrasive stuff, come the second act.

The script is brilliantly structured, with Meadows and Considine setting a mood with only the vague suggestion of a plot... allowing the story to become clearer as the film progresses through the use of grainy black and white flashbacks. As we become more fond of the thugs, and even begin to question Richard's actions, the effect of the flashbacks and the behaviour depicted within become more and more brutal, we start to see the full picture emerge and only then, towards the third act, can we fully appreciate the true extent of Richard's carnage. This is probably as bleak as cinema gets (easily on par with other devastating works like Dogville, Irreversible, All or Nothing, Straw Dogs, Stroszek, Cries & Whispers, A Short Film About Killing, and so on), with Meadows offering some brutal set-pieces and a really claustrophobic and suffocating atmosphere - particularly in the later scenes - which document real human horror in a manner that is completely unflinching.

Considine's performance as the seemingly damaged Richard is a revelation - easily as great as his portrayal of Rob Gretton in 24 Hour Party People... though completely different - as he manages to convey a sense of danger and menace whilst all the while retaining an element of restraint... which, somehow, makes him all the more disturbing. The other actors are also very strong, particularly Toby Kebbell as the mildly retarded (childlike) Anthony, who, along with former boxer Gary Stretch and unknowns like Paul Sadot, Neil Bell and Stuart Wolfenden (who make up the main bulk of the gang) bring a realism and a naturalism to a film which, in the hands of a lesser filmmaker, could have easily become a series of trite clichés. Nothing about Dead Man's Shoes ever feels trite... the brisk 80 minute running time remains riveting throughout (largely down to Considine's towering performance and the bleak but beautiful imagery of Meadows and cinematographer Danny Cohen) whilst the use of music - covering everything from Bonny Prince Billy, to Aphex Twin, ClayHill, M Ward and a variety of others - captures the real spirit of the film perfectly.

Dead Man's Shoes is already one of my all-time favourite films, and is a film that I would argue to be one of the greatest British films ever made. Meadows' proves that powerful and emotionally engaging films can be made on a shoestring budget, whilst also demonstrating quite clearly that there IS life in the British film industry outside the cosy realms of Richard Curtis. Although it may be a little too depressing for some viewers, for me, Dead Man's Shoes remains a shining example of what real filmmaking is all about... and should be of interest to anyone with a serious love of film.

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39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The British film industry is alive and kicking, 17 Jan 2005
By 
Mr. Simon M. McKenna "Simon Mckenna" (birmingham, uk) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Dead Man's Shoes [DVD] [2004] (DVD)
This is easily my favourite film of 2004 and is best described as a cross between The Office (in terms of humour) and Taxi Driver. I have to admit that I had never heard of the director Shane Meadows before seeing this but I will certainly be seeking out his previous work after experiencing this fantastic piece of cinema, Hollywood could learn a thing or two from this guy. The same goes for lead actor Paddy Considine who gives a brilliantly believable performance as Richard, Considine is an extremely naturalistic actor who quite simply becomes the character and given the films docu-style approach you sometimes forget it is actually a film.

I found this film to be an extremely refreshing change from the bilge that Hollywood churns out nowadays, it is extremely funny one minute and then shockingly brutal the next although it does not depend on gore for shock value and strikes a great balance between humour and drama. Apparently some of the script was improvised during filming and this gives the whole film a believable edge which really adds to the whole story, ex-boxer Gary Stretch plays the bad guy at the centre of Considine's rampage and also gives a great performance. In summary if you're tired of formulaic Hollywood films and fancy something that's generally different check out Dead Man's Shoes, I've been spreading the word about how good this is and those who've have seen it all agree.

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