From TwentyFourSeven to Dead Mans Shoes...
Twenty Four Seven (1997)
Meadows debut is a film about a group of young men living in a run down area of Nottingham. They are all restless and lacking adventure or even the will to try and find it, so when D'arcy (Bob Hoskins) starts up a local boxing club they show varying amounts of interest. The story is a warming one and, with the license to improvise the cast are given, there are one-liners and banter that will have you blowing snot bubbles on your popcorn. This film was a landmark for filmmakers in modern day Nottingham.
A Room for Romeo Brass (1999)
A Room for Romeo Brass follows the friendship between two pubescent boys growing up next door to each other on a council estate in Nottingham. Hospital treatment and ridiculous parents are a constant strain, but when Morelle (Paddy Constadine) befriends the pair their friendship is tested to its limits. Romeo Brass is a gripping and touching snipit of life. What makes the film so watchable are the relationships, Andrew Shim plays Romeo with plenty of heart and a hilarious yet disturbing, first time performance from Constadine. This film is superb.
Once Upon A Time in the Midlands (2002)
Once Upon A Time in the Midlands was something of a departure for Meadows. After his previous two features he was offered the chance to work with not one, but several of the best upcoming actors in Britain. In terms of the box office this is Meadows most successful film, but in the critics eyes it was probably his most disappointing. Sterling performances from Ricky Tomlinson, Kathy Burke and Robert Carlyle save this family based comedy from being just a run of the mill British comedy.
Dead Mans Shoes (2004)
A return to working with small names and budgets and a return to form for Meadows. Dead Mans Shoes is a dark gritty tale about a man who returns to his hometown to wreak revenge on a gang of drug dealers and petty criminals. Paddy Consadine takes the lead role and is totally believable as a former army officer. Toby Kebbel is introduced as his mentally disabled brother and puts in a fine debut performance. Take the eerie atmosphere of Danny Boyle's Shallowgrave and add the revenge lust of Get Carter and you're on the right lines.
Read our interview with Shane Meadows
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