This is todays entry for my film recommendation blog, I just cut and pasted it here, as per usual...
DEAD MAN'S SHOES
Dead Man's Shoes, is a little heard of, minimal budget British film, yet manages to easily outclass virtually every big budget Hollywood film of recent years.
Richard is an ex-army officer, who is seeking revenge on those who tortured his younger, mentally handicapped brother. The film opens with home-video style clips of the two growing up together, which then leads into the two brothers in the English countryside, on their way back to the town where it all happened.
Acting wise, Paddy Considine is nothing short of perfect. The character of Richard is so believable, we never even think of him as just a character, rather as a real person. Other characters although, could be considered to be stereotypes by the wider world, however they are highly realistic for any English audience, as we have all met people just like these before, so it is rather a case of noting actual experience. One of the reasons the level of acting seems so superior, is due to the loose script that they filmed on, the specific dialogue throughout the film was improvised for each take, making everything that extra bit more natural.
Editing within Dead Man's Shoes is very much a key element, as we are constantly dipping into a flashback of the day of torture, linking the past and present neatly, and feeding the audience what happened on that day piece by piece, building the enigma and interest. The whole film is shot to be as gritty as possible, using a great deal of precision focus, making everything as true as can be, which in turn accentuates the themes of the film.
The soundtrack of the film is equally as well thought out, bringing in extra elements, and setting a mood, which at times is very ironic, in terms of generating a contrast of pleasant central character, and unpleasant narrative. Regularly there is a pulse in the background, that adds a layer of depth, that when coupled with the brooding performance of Paddy Considine, absolutely pulls us in and holds us superbly throughout.
Simplicity is the key to this film's success. All shot on location, small cast, no specially effects apart from make up. No special costumes. The film revolves instead, around a powerful narrative, a masterful performance, and gripping direction, which is finely complimented by near perfect musical scoring and selection. Dead Man's Shoes is one of the finer films of the last decade, a fantastic revenge movie, and definitely has set the bench mark for contemporary British filmmaking.
