- Richard (Paddy Considine) has always protected his simple-minded little brother Anthony (Toby Kebbell). When Richard leaves the rural village where they have grown up to join the army, Anthony is taken in by Sonny (Gary Stretch), a controlling and vicious local drug dealer and his gang of lads. Anthony becomes the gang's pet and plaything. Seven years later, Richard returns to settle the score. De
Richard has always protected his simple-minded little brother anthony. When richard leaves the village where theyve grown up to join the army anthony is taken in by sonny a vicious drug dealer & his gang. Anthony becomes the gangs pet & plaything. Seven years later richard returns to settle the score. Studio: Magnolia Pict Hm Ent Release Date: 09/05/2006 Starring: Paddy Considine Gary Stretch Run time: 86 minutes Rating: NrHarrowing thriller about a hotwired ex-soldier (co-scripter Paddy Consid! ine from
Cinderella Man) who returns to his sleepy Irish village 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) f! inal scene.
-- Paul Gaita
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