T. Rigney (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} filmfiend) wrote,@ 2006-05-26 01:27:00 |
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Dead Man's Shoes
Brilliant.
---
Dead Man's Shoes is one of the few movies I've seen recently that actually MOVED me. Now, I'm not a friggin' stone by any means, but few films these days are interested in evoking true emotion; no, most are content to blatantly manipulate their audience because, hey, this is a drama, damn it, and you're supposed to cry when they tell you to. Director Shane Meadows and co-writer/star Paddy Considine have crafted one of the bleakest revenge movies I've ever seen. But this is no cookie-cutter revenge flick, dear readers. The lines between good and bad, right and wrong, are heavily blurred, leaving one to ponder that perhaps the gruesome punishment inflicted on the so-called "villains" doesn't necessary fit the crime. It's a powerhouse, people, and it saddens me that most of the world doesn't know it exists.
Richard and his brother Anthony are returning home after spending many years away from the streets they grew up on. But this is no high school reunion; a horrible event took place while Richard was in the army involving his mentally challenged brother Anthony and some of the seedier locals. Now Richard is back, and he has a score to settle. His targets are a close-knit group of drug dealers and social deviants who were more than a little rough with Anthony during his brother's stint in the armed forces. At first Richard's revenge is more light-hearted than mean-spirited. A little vandalizism here, a little breaking-and-entering there -- misdemeanors at best. But after a brief encounter with alpha male Sonny, Richard makes his intentions clear: He intends to eliminate each and every one of them by any means necessary. So begins probably the best revenge flick I've seen in years. Considering some of the movies I've consumed over the past decade, that's speaks volumes.
Shane Meadows isn't a director I'm familiar with. Once Upon a Time in the Midlands rings a bell, but not really. Doesn't matter. If you're not fan of Mr. Meadows by the time the end credits roll, get off my blog RIGHT NOW. Er, what I meant to say was that Meadows captures the English countryside with exquisite detail and startling beauty. Often he allows the camera to sit around, capturing one breathtaking shot after another as Richard and Anthony make their way around town. In close quarters, however, it's all over the place, but not in a distracting Greengrass Shaky Cam kind of way. Think Law & Order with a little less polish. He also shows a fair amount of restraint in the violence department, which I believe to be an excellent decision. Most revenge movies are about the revenge, the damage done to those who have it comin' to 'em. Meadows and Considine, on the other hand, are more interested in the characters and their plight, as opposed to the squishiness of their inevitable fates. And though the mask Richard dons for his bloody excursions comes across a little gimmicky at first, everything becomes crystal clear when you see how his intended victims respond to it.
The performances couldn't be sharper. Though Sonny is supposed to be the guy we absolutely loathe, actor Gary Stretch gives him a humanity others would have tried to hide, forcing us to pull back a little in the I HATE YOU department. His lackeys are equally as sympathetic. Sure, they did some REALLY horrible things to this poor guy, but they're real people, not cardboard cut-outs of individuals we're told to hate. As good as these guys are, it's Paddy Considine who steals the show. Instead of going all Charles Bronson on us, Considine brings Richard to life with a boiling fury that lies JUST below the surface. In other words, you know the guy could literally explode at any moment. It's reason enough to watch the movie.
Look at me, trying to sound like a real critic and all. What can I say? Some movies just bring out the film geek in me. Anyway, it's all good from where I'm sitting.
I've heard others call Dead Man's Shoes a slasher, and while it does make sense to stick such a label on this movie, I think it's a pretty literal interpretation of the material. Shane Meadows and Paddy Considine have taken a simple concept and reworked it, giving what could have been a run-of-the-mill revenge story an element most films of this nature lack: a human heart. These are people who did something insanely stupid and totally unforgivable, yet this event doesn't define them. I laughed. I cried. I enjoyed watching Richard exact revenge on those who harmed his brother, but at the same time, I cringed when those same sorry bastards were brutally executed. What does this boil down to, class? Characterization. I can't stress this enough. Create a world. Build your characters...and let the story find them.
Dead Man's Shoes is a beautiful, haunting, AMAZING revenge story.
I urge you to check it out.
Brilliant.
---
Dead Man's Shoes is one of the few movies I've seen recently that actually MOVED me. Now, I'm not a friggin' stone by any means, but few films these days are interested in evoking true emotion; no, most are content to blatantly manipulate their audience because, hey, this is a drama, damn it, and you're supposed to cry when they tell you to. Director Shane Meadows and co-writer/star Paddy Considine have crafted one of the bleakest revenge movies I've ever seen. But this is no cookie-cutter revenge flick, dear readers. The lines between good and bad, right and wrong, are heavily blurred, leaving one to ponder that perhaps the gruesome punishment inflicted on the so-called "villains" doesn't necessary fit the crime. It's a powerhouse, people, and it saddens me that most of the world doesn't know it exists.
Richard and his brother Anthony are returning home after spending many years away from the streets they grew up on. But this is no high school reunion; a horrible event took place while Richard was in the army involving his mentally challenged brother Anthony and some of the seedier locals. Now Richard is back, and he has a score to settle. His targets are a close-knit group of drug dealers and social deviants who were more than a little rough with Anthony during his brother's stint in the armed forces. At first Richard's revenge is more light-hearted than mean-spirited. A little vandalizism here, a little breaking-and-entering there -- misdemeanors at best. But after a brief encounter with alpha male Sonny, Richard makes his intentions clear: He intends to eliminate each and every one of them by any means necessary. So begins probably the best revenge flick I've seen in years. Considering some of the movies I've consumed over the past decade, that's speaks volumes.
Shane Meadows isn't a director I'm familiar with. Once Upon a Time in the Midlands rings a bell, but not really. Doesn't matter. If you're not fan of Mr. Meadows by the time the end credits roll, get off my blog RIGHT NOW. Er, what I meant to say was that Meadows captures the English countryside with exquisite detail and startling beauty. Often he allows the camera to sit around, capturing one breathtaking shot after another as Richard and Anthony make their way around town. In close quarters, however, it's all over the place, but not in a distracting Greengrass Shaky Cam kind of way. Think Law & Order with a little less polish. He also shows a fair amount of restraint in the violence department, which I believe to be an excellent decision. Most revenge movies are about the revenge, the damage done to those who have it comin' to 'em. Meadows and Considine, on the other hand, are more interested in the characters and their plight, as opposed to the squishiness of their inevitable fates. And though the mask Richard dons for his bloody excursions comes across a little gimmicky at first, everything becomes crystal clear when you see how his intended victims respond to it.
The performances couldn't be sharper. Though Sonny is supposed to be the guy we absolutely loathe, actor Gary Stretch gives him a humanity others would have tried to hide, forcing us to pull back a little in the I HATE YOU department. His lackeys are equally as sympathetic. Sure, they did some REALLY horrible things to this poor guy, but they're real people, not cardboard cut-outs of individuals we're told to hate. As good as these guys are, it's Paddy Considine who steals the show. Instead of going all Charles Bronson on us, Considine brings Richard to life with a boiling fury that lies JUST below the surface. In other words, you know the guy could literally explode at any moment. It's reason enough to watch the movie.
Look at me, trying to sound like a real critic and all. What can I say? Some movies just bring out the film geek in me. Anyway, it's all good from where I'm sitting.
I've heard others call Dead Man's Shoes a slasher, and while it does make sense to stick such a label on this movie, I think it's a pretty literal interpretation of the material. Shane Meadows and Paddy Considine have taken a simple concept and reworked it, giving what could have been a run-of-the-mill revenge story an element most films of this nature lack: a human heart. These are people who did something insanely stupid and totally unforgivable, yet this event doesn't define them. I laughed. I cried. I enjoyed watching Richard exact revenge on those who harmed his brother, but at the same time, I cringed when those same sorry bastards were brutally executed. What does this boil down to, class? Characterization. I can't stress this enough. Create a world. Build your characters...and let the story find them.
Dead Man's Shoes is a beautiful, haunting, AMAZING revenge story.
I urge you to check it out.
