Written by Paddy Considine, Shane Meadows and Paul Fraser

Directed by Shane Meadows

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

The EMPIRE quote on the poster pretty much sums Dead Man’s Shoes up; “disturbing, uncompromising and utterly gripping.” Shane Meadow’s 2004 exploration of one man’s quest for justice and peace is deeply compelling and almost impossible to take your eyes off from the moment it starts.

Paddy Considine is Richard, an ex-soldier returning home with the baggage and mental wounds of active service as he gets even with the group of losers that made his disabled brother Anthony’s (Toby Kebbell) life hell while Richard was away.

Richard means business. This isn’t just a warning for bad behaviour, he is seeking revenge in a way that would put The Bride to shame and he strikes fear into the hearts of those he confronts as they slowly realise they are dealing with “Anthony’s brother.”

It’s been 19 years since Dead Man’s Shoes was released, so there can’t be many people who don’t know how it ends, but I won’t spoil it for anyone coming to this film with fresh eyes. To do so would diminish the power of Considine’s performance and Meadow’s Direction in what is a complicated mixture of very dark and very funny humour, heartwarming brotherly love, and devastating violence and revelations.

It is shot very simply and intimately as it follows Richard on his mission. There are no flashy effects or bombast here, but the set-pieces, when they arrive, ooze with a gritty reality and horror that is hard to watch but utterly magnetic and compelling. The violence and tension is broken regularly as we are treated to gentle scenes between Anthony and Richard which show the softer side to Richard and how much he cares for Anthony, but also flashbacks to the treatment Anthony received from those Richard is hunting. For want of a better cliché, this really does create a rollercoaster of emotions in the viewer as we are pushed towards empathising with Richard and sharing his desire for vengeance on Sonny (Gary Stretch) and his band of assholes.

There are no bum notes in the whole movie and Dead Man’s Shoes is a film that should be lauded and recommended to everyone. While the improvised style of acting may put some people off, it is touches like that which make the film all the more natural and realistic, ensuring the humour, violence and ending are all the more impactful.

When you tack on an ending of such heartbreaking clarity to a film of this quality, you really do end up with a finished product that is hard not to recommend. I am a firm believer that people always have to make up their own minds about a film, everyone has different tastes. One of my top films of all times is 2001: A Space Odyssey and I am VERY aware of how a lot of people I know can’t watch it. However, Dead Man’s Shoes is one of those films that I feel it would be hard for anyone to not to at least appreciate the achievement, even if they are not a fan of genre.

If you have seen the film, you will know what I mean and, if you haven’t seen it, now is the perfect chance to check it out.

Dead Man’s Shoes is back in Cinemas on 15^th September from Blue Finch Films