One of my formative toe-dippings into the world of true independent cinema came in 2004, with the release of Shane Meadows’ Dead Man’s Shoes.
Having already caught Oldboy that same year, I was on a bit of a vengeance kick. And, as a fan of slasher films and horror cinema, I was immediately hooked by the masked man with the axe.
Dead Man’s Shoes isn’t your average revenge ’em up though. Meadows subverts expectation at every turn, upending the narrative with one of the best twists ever seen in a film.
Add to that, a stratospheric performance from Paddy Considine as Richard, cementing himself as one of British cinema’s most exciting and unique personalities.
All of which is to say that when the fine folk at Second Sight asked me to put together an essay on the film for its limited edition Blu-Ray release, I was thrilled.
DEAD MAN’S SHOES is out on August 10th from Second Sight Films. Pre-order your copy here.
