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Old 18th September 2022, 12:48 PM
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Frankie Teardrop Frankie Teardrop is offline
Cultist on the Rampage
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Leeds, UK
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DEAD MAN’S SHOES – Late nineties / early noughties indie darling Shane Meadows was not known for his genre outings, but ‘Dead Man’s Shoes’ pushes through into horror territory. It takes the basic form of the revenger and feeds it into Meadow’s usual small-town seediness, but there are almost shades of slasherdom when Considine gets his mask on. It’s about an ex-army guy who comes home to punish the ones present when his disabled brother was tortured and humiliated. The first half is lighter, with bickering dealers and Meadows’ familiar kitchen sink pithiness offsetting the gathering clouds, although everywhere is the shadowy vibe of the provincial underbelly, smoky interiors on mildewy estates, crossbow in the laundry room etc. Violence, already surging in black and white flashbacks that reminded me of ‘Martin’ (sort of), finally erupts during an epic drug trip sequence that always makes me squirm. Along the way, Meadows’ loose, semi-improvised style is choppy but hypnotic. Excellent film that never loses its punch. I saw it when it came out, and that makes me feel old.
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