Dead Man’s Shoes is a 2004 British psychological thriller film directed by Shane Meadows. Richard (Paddy Considine) returns to his hometown after serving in the British army. Flashbacks reveal his younger brother Anthony’s abuse by a group of drug dealers in the town. Richard vows to take revenge. Richard has been in the army for several years and is trained as a mercenary, but he plays mind games as much as he resorts to violence. Considine delivers an absolutely convincing depiction of a man struggling to balance his desire for revenge and redemption.
Considine’s Richard is an utterly frightening anti-hero who performs his acts of vengeance without a pause and gives a large satisfied smile with every act. There’s a ruthless logic to our anti-hero’s vengeance that makes it all the more chilling. The villains in this story will feel familiar. They are bullies, no more, no less. They pick on Anthony, coerce him into taking drugs, sexually molest him, mess with his mind in cruel ways. This is a revenge tale, yes , but a complex one.
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