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Dead Man's Shoes
DEAD MAN'S SHOES is the new movie by Shane Meadows, who previously brought us 24/7, A ROOM FOR ROMEO BRASS and ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE MIDLANDS.
Personally, I've never really felt that any of his full-length films have lived up to the promise of his short films. All that's changed with DEAD MAN'S SHOES which should, if there's any justice, bring him a lot more attention.
It's a UK based, revenge-genre movie with distinct echoes of TAXI DRIVER and STRAW DOGS. It is, however, a cliche-free reworking of those themes, beautifully structured and acted. It's a very dark film but it also manages to be very funny indeed, especially in the scenes that have been partly improvised.
Paddy Considine, who you may remember from IN AMERICA, gives a standout performance as the ex-army man avenging the mistreatment of his retarded brother by a bunch of small-time villains.
I hope this small but haunting film will get to you in the States. If it doesn't, then I'd seriously recommend catching it at a film festival if you can or importing it on DVD when it's released.
I\'ve been going to bed early . . .
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