Dead Man’s Shoes – Second Sight Films Blu-ray Review

There’s a particular kind of dread that only British social-realist cinema seems able to conjure, the sense that violence is coming not from some costumed killer but from somewhere much closer to home, dressed in a tracksuit and carrying a grudge that’s had years to fester. Shane Meadows’ Dead Man’s Shoes is one of the finest examples of it, and Second Sight Films’ new Blu-ray gives this modern British classic the release it’s deserved for a long time.

Released in 2004 and co-written by Meadows with star Paddy Considine, Dead Man’s Shoes follows Richard (Considine), an ex-paratrooper who returns to his small Derbyshire hometown to confront the local gang who tormented his younger brother Anthony (Toby Kebbell) while he was away serving. What starts as intimidation, Richard stalking the group, needling them, letting them know he’s watching, curdles into something far darker as the full extent of what happened to Anthony comes to light.

It’s a film that wears its influences on it’s sleeve (there’s a lot of Taxi Driver in Richard’s coiled, watchful menace and his dress code offers a nod to John J’s wardrobe) while remaining unmistakably, defiantly Meadows’ own. Shot around Matlock and the Peak District, the film beautifully trades the gloss of a typical revenge thriller for handheld camerawork, natural light and a cast of non-professional and semi-professional actors who feel less like they’re performing and more like you’ve wandered into their actual lives. Danny Cohen’s cinematography, an early high point in a career that would go on to take in The King’s Speech and Les Misérables, captures the flat grey beauty of the Peak District in a way that makes the violence, when it comes, land even harder against the quiet.

Considine’s performance anchors the whole thing. Richard is terrifying not because he shouts or postures but because he barely does either, he’s got the stillness of someone who’s already decided how this ends. Toby Kebbell, in his first major screen role, is heartbreaking as Anthony, and Gary Stretch and the rest of the gang give performances with just enough pathetic, small-town bravado to make you understand exactly why Richard’s contempt for them runs so deep. Meadows never lets you fully enjoy the revenge either. The film keeps circling back to what was actually done to Anthony, and by the time you understand the full picture, any satisfaction the earlier scenes gave you curdles right along with Richard’s own conscience.

Second Sight have gone all out here, and rightly so, this is a film that’s earned the deluxe treatment. There are three commentaries covering the production from pretty much every angle, from Meadows and producer Mark Herbert’s own recollections through to Considine joining them for a second track, plus a newly recorded critical commentary from Andrew Graves and Jon Towlson looking at the film’s place in British cinema. The interview features are just as substantial, with lengthy new sit-downs with Meadows and Herbert, Kebbell and Stretch, and Danny Cohen talking through the film’s distinctive look. There’s a generous chunk of deleted and extended material too, including the full uncut tyre sequence and an alternate ending, plus the older In Shane’s Shoes documentary for anyone who remembers it from previous releases. Meadows’ short film Northern Soul is a lovely inclusion for context on where his career was heading next, and the Danger Mouse and Jemini music video rounds things off as a genuinely odd little bonus.

Dead Man’s Shoes hasn’t lost an ounce of its power in the two decades since release, if anything it feels sharper now, a reminder of just how good British genre filmmaking can be when it refuses to compromise. Second Sight’s Blu-ray backs the film up with a properly stacked set of extras that should keep fans busy for a long while. An essential pickup.

Special Features

• New audio commentary with Director Shane Meadows and Producer Mark Herbert – This is just a great listen. If you don’t particularly want to watch the film but want to hear what they’ve said put it on in the background while doing something else. It’s well worth your time as they go into the detail of the shoot.

• New audio commentary by Andrew Graves and Jon Towlson – Critical commentaries are never my favourite to be honest, but this one, by writers Graves and Towlson is again worth a listen, you may hear something you’d never considered.

• Audio commentary with Shane Meadows, Paddy Considine and Mark Herbert – This is similar to the first commentary and super interesting. I found my self playing “guess who’s talking now”.

• Quite A Journey: a new interview with Director Shane Meadows and Producer Mark Herbert – 33 mins – They do well with these not to retread old ground. Another fantastic addition.

• A Very Fine Line: a new interview with Actor Toby Kebbell – 26 mins – Guess what, it’s shorter than the last one. Thanks for keeping that up Second Sight. Great interview with Tony Kebbel who played Anthony in the film.

• The Right Horses: a new interview with Actor Gary Stretch – 19 mins – Gary Stretch talks about how he got into acting. Another interesting addition to the disc.

• Made an Impact: an interview with Director of Photography Danny Cohen – 16 mins – Great insight to the look of the film from the DOP.

• Deleted Scenes – 29 mins of deleted scenes that includes: Paddy and the Kids, The Tyre Sequence (Full Cut), First Murder Scene (Extended Take), Gypsy John 29.10.03, Parmesan Cheese (Full Improv Sequence), Alternate Ending

• In Shane’s Shoes – 25 mins TV Spot/doc-style making-of -This is the old making of that many will have seen before. It’s great.

• Short Film: Northern Soul – 27 mins – Fun short, Toby Kebbell’s character wants to be a professional wrestler.

• Danger Mouse and Jemini Music Video