Director: Shane Meadows
Screenplay: Shane Meadows
Starring: Paddy Considine, Toby Kebbell, Gary Stretch
Country: UK
Running Time: 90m
Year: 2004
Shane Meadows’ 2004 film Dead Man’s Shoes is, apparently, the definitive “Brit-Grit” Western. Definitive is doing some heavy lifting there because I can only think of Straw Dogs as anything quite like it. It also stands up on its own as a fantastic film that has only grown in stature. Fermented might be a better word; few films are truly this violent. I don’t mean shoot ‘em up gore, or slasher horror, but an ingrained ferocity bubbling just below the surface throughout.
It’s bleak, but not miserable, driven by a burning intensity that makes Derbyshire’s Peak District an unlikely candidate for English badlands. If you know the area, like Matlock Bath’s landlocked seaside town, you might not recognise it here. Thanks to the raw locations, the narrative is based in a chilling reality, making the sprawling hills and quiet town feel inescapable.
The film centres almost entirely on Paddy Considine’s tour de force performance as Richard, a vengeful ex-soldier returning home. Considine is always a reliable and nuanced actor, one I think that hasn’t quite been recognised as he should. Here, he transcends standard thriller archetypes, delivering a portrayal that is as terrifying and intense, as it is emotional. The raw nature of the violence in this film stems directly from his chillingly methodical approach. Never cartoonish, just deeply rooted in the gritty, mundane reality. Coiled-spring Considine brings a quiet menace.
And yet, it’s also unabashedly sentimental. The good kind, the kind of sentimental that’s earned. There’s a profound reason behind Richard’s controlled rage that rewards repeat viewings.
VIDEO
There had been hope for a 4K transfer, but I’m not sure why. It would have been UHD for the sake of it, considering the source is Super 16mm. Second Sight have sensibly settled for a fantastic remastered 1080p Blu-ray. It successfully cleans up the older encoding while beautifully maintaining the film’s organic grain, preserving the movie’s gritty visuals.
EXTRA FEATURES
Second Sight have pulled off another excellent presentation, from the superb transfer, to the new artwork for the cover, and this run of extra features (not to mention a comic adaptation, which wasn’t available for review, but looks promising). There’s a few archival pieces, but substantial new stuff, including interviews and two more commentaries. Listening to Shane Meadow’s talk is always a pleasure and we delve deep on this one.
- New audio commentary with Director Shane Meadows and Producer Mark Herbert
- New audio commentary by Andrew Graves and Jon Towlson
- Audio commentary with Shane Meadows, Actor Paddy Considine and Mark Herbert
- Quite a Journey: a new interview with Shane Meadows and Mark Herbert
- A Very Fine Line: a new interview with Actor Toby Kebbell
- The Right Horses: a new interview with Actor Gary Stretch
- Made an Impact an interview with Director of Photography Danny Cohen
- Deleted Scenes
- Extended Takes
- Alternative Ending
- In Shane’s Shoes
- Short Film: Northern Soul
- Danger Mouse and Jemini Music Video
- Limited Edition Contents:
- Rigid slipcase with new artwork by Krishna Shenoi
- 120-page book with new essays by Anna Cale, Tim Coleman, Matt Glasby, Joel Harley, Ella Kemp and Hannah Strong
- Dead Man’s Shoes Graphic Novel
- 6 collectors’ art cards
Dead Man’s Shoes: Second Sight Limited Edition
Screenplay: Shane Meadows
Starring: Paddy Considine, Toby Kebbell, Gary Stretch
Country: UK
Running Time: 90m
Year: 2004
Shane Meadows’ 2004 film Dead Man’s Shoes is, apparently, the definitive “Brit-Grit” Western. Definitive is doing some heavy lifting there because I can only think of Straw Dogs as anything quite like it. It also stands up on its own as a fantastic film that has only grown in stature. Fermented might be a better word; few films are truly this violent. I don’t mean shoot ‘em up gore, or slasher horror, but an ingrained ferocity bubbling just below the surface throughout.
It’s bleak, but not miserable, driven by a burning intensity that makes Derbyshire’s Peak District an unlikely candidate for English badlands. If you know the area, like Matlock Bath’s landlocked seaside town, you might not recognise it here. Thanks to the raw locations, the narrative is based in a chilling reality, making the sprawling hills and quiet town feel inescapable.
The film centres almost entirely on Paddy Considine’s tour de force performance as Richard, a vengeful ex-soldier returning home. Considine is always a reliable and nuanced actor, one I think that hasn’t quite been recognised as he should. Here, he transcends standard thriller archetypes, delivering a portrayal that is as terrifying and intense, as it is emotional. The raw nature of the violence in this film stems directly from his chillingly methodical approach. Never cartoonish, just deeply rooted in the gritty, mundane reality. Coiled-spring Considine brings a quiet menace.
And yet, it’s also unabashedly sentimental. The good kind, the kind of sentimental that’s earned. There’s a profound reason behind Richard’s controlled rage that rewards repeat viewings.
VIDEO
There had been hope for a 4K transfer, but I’m not sure why. It would have been UHD for the sake of it, considering the source is Super 16mm. Second Sight have sensibly settled for a fantastic remastered 1080p Blu-ray. It successfully cleans up the older encoding while beautifully maintaining the film’s organic grain, preserving the movie’s gritty visuals.
EXTRA FEATURES
Second Sight have pulled off another excellent presentation, from the superb transfer, to the new artwork for the cover, and this run of extra features (not to mention a comic adaptation, which wasn’t available for review, but looks promising). There’s a few archival pieces, but substantial new stuff, including interviews and two more commentaries. Listening to Shane Meadow’s talk is always a pleasure and we delve deep on this one.