Dead Man's Shoes

Revenge and brotherly love are the two hooks to this uncompromising drama from Shane Meadows (Once Upon A Time In The Midlands, A Room For Romeo Brass).

Soldier Richard (Considine) returns with his mentally-handicapped brother Anthony (Kebbell) to the Derbyshire town they left years before.

They camp in the hills above the town, where it quickly becomes apparent that their relationship is something like that of George and Lenny in Of Mice And Men. Tough and purposeful Richard protects Anthony, who innocently mimics his elder brother.

Richard has not come just for a camping trip, however. The town is still run by the same gang of small-time drug-dealers and thugs - a group of men who once tortured Anthony. Now Richard has returned to deal out vengeance. His very presence instills suspicion and paranoia in the gang.

Stalking the gang one by one, Richard plays cat-and-mouse and successfully turns them against one another.

Armed with a gas-mask, axe and a can of spray paint, he uses his military background to wreak havoc in domestic settings - kettles, suitcases and toilets are all commandeered to ingenious effect.

A revengers tale in the tradition of Straw Dogs or Death Wish, Dead Man's Shoes is undeniably dark but is tempered with humour and some sense of redemption.