An interesting revenge thriller that could have benefited from higher production values and budget, "Dead Man''s Shoes" is
the deadly tale of a man who taunts and murders the gang responsible for taking advantage of his simple-minded little brother.
Paddy Considine stars as Richard, an ex-Navy officer who has returned home to find that the mentally slow younger brother he used to protect was taken in and manipulated to extreme measures by a local gang of drug dealers. His anger driving everything, he sets out to kill them one by one.
"Dead Man''s Shoes" thrives in how it makes a simple story just a little complicated, as it smoothly shifts between drama, revenge thriller and even horror to some degree. While Considine plays what would generally be considered the protagonist, there is no clear hero here. While "the bad guys" certainly are not pleasant, much of the movie is told from their point of view, and Richard is treated almost like some killer in a slasher flick, showing up when he wants to stab, shoot or play with his victims without any remorse. For the most part, you want him to get to his next victims, but as the movie progresses it gets more and more difficult to choose a side.