Dead Man's Shoes review

Revenge is a dish that couldn't be served much colder in Shane Meadow's unsettling but compelling new film. After a slight loss of form with his spaghetti western spoof Once Upon A Time In The Midlands, Meadows returns to the low-budget, single camera format that previously served him so well and emerges with one of the best films of the year. With talent like this, who says the British film industry is dead?

In a story that is simple but told in a gut-wrenchingly effective way, Paddy Considine stars as Richard, a disaffected soldier who returns to his hometown in Derbyshire intent on avenging a terrible deed that befell his retarded brother some years ago. Those responsible for the crime are a bunch of petty drug dealers, grown men who have never left town and are big fish in a small pond. Richard haunts them, appearing in their houses with uncanny ease, and gradually gets his retribution in several shocking ways. As the film proceeds we slowly find out exactly what happened to his brother (a spot-on performance by Toby Kebbell), and it becomes clear that the gang deserve everything they have coming to them.

Much of Meadows' trademark style is in evidence, notably the almost- improvised dialogue that peppers his script. It's an excellent cast, made up largely of local actors, but it's Considine who shines. He may be the most talented young actor in British film today, having given standout performances in Meadows' own A Room For Romeo Brass, Pawel Pawlikowski's Last Resort and Jim Sheridan's In America. Here he is devastatingly menacing, utterly loopy and hugely watchable. Gary Stretch also acquits himself excellently as the leader of the gang, his ex-boxer's stature and physical self-confidence adding to his bravura.

Meadows has a knack for making his comedic moments blacker than black and revels in life's little absurdities, such as the sight of the hard men of town traveling around in a battered 2CV. There are also several jarring visuals, notably the sight of Considine in a gas mask. While the film does have its moments of blood and guts, the skill is in the way it is portrayed - Meadows and Considine share the screenplay credit - where anticipation builds up the tension several levels. A melancholic and atmospheric soundtrack featuring the likes of Will Oldham also adds much to the overall feel.

Meadows' approach, which is to make films outside of any studio system, allows him the freedom to do what he wants. This could of course lead to disaster in the wrong hands, but the boy wonder tag he received after his debut feature TwentyFourSeven was no fluke, and Dead Man's Shoes is proof that we have a lot to look forward to. Terrific stuff.

Paul Hurley