Dead Man's Shoes

In my survey of British "miserabilism," I now turn to Shane Meadows, one of the major directors of the sceptered isle working today. His 2004 film, Dead Man's Shoes, isn't really in the same vein as other miserabilist movies--it's more of a thriller, with a man bent on revenge slowly killing the men responsible for harming his brother.

The script, written by Meadows and star Paddy Considine, is kind of old school. Considine is a former soldier who returns home. He's accompanied by his brother (Toby Kebbel), who is mentally retarded. Slowly we learn, through flashbacks, that a group of drug dealers did something horrible to that brother, and Considine is going to make them pay.

I knew nothing about this film before viewing it, and in that respect it really drew me in, as an aura of mystery hangs about it (there's a major plot twist that I'm not about to spoil). Considine's character is also something other-worldly--the crooks are no match for him, and kind of show the age-old truth that bullies are cowards at heart.

There is something comic about the bullies as they realize they are targets. At first, Considine toys with them, painting their faces while they are asleep, or writing the words "cheyne stoking" on the wall of their apartment (this is a term for when someone stops breathing as they are dying). Then the retribution becomes bloody--extremely so.

Meadows has an outstanding visual style, and the film is gripping. There are a few holes in the plot, though. Considine may be a trained killer, but I'm unaware that the British army teaches lock-picking, as he seems to be impervious to any locked doors. But I don't think Meadows is concerned too much with reality--Dead Man's Shoes is more of a ghost story, albeit about a ghost who knows how to swing an axe.