Dead Man's Shoes

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Dead Man's Shoes

Released Aug 20, 2004

1h 26m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

60%

Tomatometer

47 Reviews

91%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

A soldier returns home to his small town and exacts a deadly revenge on the thugs who tormented his brother, who has a learning disability, while he was away. One by one the young hoodlums meet their fates as the soldier releases the hate he feels inside.

Critics Consensus

Though enhanced by cramped, gritty camerawork, this unsettling look at violence and revenge lacks the provocative edge needed to give it a substantial kick.

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Ed Potton

Times (UK)

Meadows earns his “Scorsese of the Midlands” tag with eruptions of striking brutality. And the supremely unnerving Considine is his De Niro.

Rated: 5/5

Sep 16, 2023

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Sydney Morning Herald

What's intriguing is that Meadows makes us identify with these small-time hoods, even as he's setting up their executions.

Oct 13, 2006

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Derek Elley

Variety

Film plays as a quirky Brit riff on everything from U.S. slasher pics to revenge oaters but without Meadows' usual psychological complexity.

Aug 4, 2006

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Alistair Lawrence

Common Sense Media

Arguably a career-best from British director Shane Meadows, this is an unrelenting revenge fantasy with a powder keg performance from Considine at its core.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 2, 2021

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David Walsh

World Socialist Web Site

One is confronted here with an extraordinary level of artistic and social unconsciousness.

Feb 15, 2021

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

Newcomer Toby Kebbell gives a dignified performance that includes all the stereotypical tics and smirks, however, the performance constantly feels real.

Rated: 3.5/4.0

Sep 5, 2020

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Audience Member

I first saw this movie by accident when it was on late back when movies were just on the telly. I recently watched it with my son now that he's an adult. Dead Man's Shoes is a masterpiece. The audience score clearly flies in the face of the critics who gave it a splat. Clearly it went over their heads, if indeed they bothered to actually watch it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/20/25

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David O

Brilliant performances, Gary Stretch an ex boxer and model is a revelation and maybe Paddy Considenes best ever performance. Just Grimey enough and just funny enough , Set in the Midlands which We don’t see enough of in British film making .

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/31/24

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Zavier B

Paddy Considine’s performance is excellent. A British revenge thriller in a familiar setting. The narrative could be sharper in places and I was disappointed by the ending, but overall it’s a solid film and worth the watch.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/28/24

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Mister P

This film is such a gem. Incredible how Paddy Considine and Shane Meadows were able to make this such a darkly harrowing tale yet they were able to sprinkle some very comic moments in there that didn't undermine the film's gravity.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/17/24

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Ian S

One of my favourite films. It's portrayal of small time, small town "gangsters" is spot on. The scene where they pull up in a 2CV Dolly listening to hip-hop sums it all up. A very British film, funny, sad, depressing, and violent - the balance is perfect. I've never looked at a pot noodle in the same light.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

11/22/24

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Joe J

I thought this film has a great story plot as a British revenge movie. Some of the acting is a bit on par but having such an intense storyline on this subject is what really makes this film so enticing to the viewer. A definite 8.5/10.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

11/09/24

Full Review

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Shane Meadows

Director

Paddy Considine

Richard

Gary Stretch

Sonny

Toby Kebbell

Anthony

Stuart Wolfenden

Herbie

Neil Bell

Soz

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Synopsis

A soldier returns home to his small town and exacts a deadly revenge on the thugs who tormented his brother, who has a learning disability, while he was away. One by one the young hoodlums meet their fates as the soldier releases the hate he feels inside.

Director: Shane Meadows
Producer: Mark Herbert
Screenwriter: Paddy Considine, Shane Meadows, Paul Fraser
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Production Co: Big Arty, Warp Films
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 20, 2004, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): May 12, 2006
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 15, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $6.0K
Runtime: 1h 26m