Shepka Productions is quickly becoming prolific on indie film circuit. Malevolent Dark has reviewed several of their films, and what stands out about them isn’t the frenzied pace that they are being released, but rather the extreme attention to quality and detail that seems to be inherent in their work. The latest film that we are reviewing is Dead Before They Wake (2024).
Dead Before They Wake is a vigilante justice tale that incorporates some modern tropes as well as some callbacks to the crime noir of old. It is a departure from our normal horror-laden content, but the bad guys are certainly Malevolent and their purposes are Dark so it seems fitting for the site.
For other Shepka Productions, we reviewed When Darkness Falls (2022) last year and we have an upcoming pre-release review for the Baby in the Basket (2024).
Dead Before They Wake Synopsis
By all outward appearances, Alex is an everyman. He lives modestly in a mobile home and serves as a bouncer at night. A simple as he lives, he has a penchant for handling violence with violence and has a compass that keeps him on the right side on morality. He’s not above handling other peoples business for the right price.
Pushing the plot into overdrive, Alex is approached by a retired lawyer named Evan. Evan’s background is shrouded in mystery. He comes to Alex with an offer of £20,000 on the behalf of some nondescript government agency to find a missing girl named Bianca. His initial reaction is to resist, but when Even gives him a video of other women that have fallen into Bianca’s same pit of despair he agrees.
In the seedy underbelly of Glasgow is a underground sex trafficking ring. One the front end is a poorly organized band of dopeheads responsible for finding new ‘recruits’. Behind the operation is something bigger and more foreboding. Alex must penetrate this organization to complete save Bianca and get his payday.
Chloe and the Abduction
Dead Before They Wake wastes no time introducing the audience to the rag-tag bunch of dopes that run the front line of the sex traffic ring. A man convinces a young girl named Chloe to enter his cab. Immediately the scene becomes uncomfortable. Moments later, his partner enters the cab and it goes from uncomfortable to terrifying. The scene isn’t so terrifying because of the actions of the baddies, but more through the quiet reservation of Chloe as she tries maintain calm when her safety is clearly deteriorating.
This particular scene gave me unfortunate flashbacks to a similar scene in The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007). The steel cage of a car imprisons a terrified teen while the enemy threatens their will on the weak serves as one of the most horrifying situations imaginable. Once again, it makes me wonder how many terrified girls in the real world have suffered a similar set of unforgiving circumstances. Films that centered around violence and dominance to women make for some of the most uncomfortable to watch and scenes like this are painfully necessary to drive the plot.
Production
Dead Before They Wake exemplifies the level of professionalism that we have come to expect from Shepka productions. For most of the film, the photography is fantastic. The outdoor shooting, especially at night, really stands out to capture the heart of the city. The production team avoids the typically pitfalls of modern day digital recording by ensuring that a natural audio and visual ‘air’ permeates the film. The addition of very subtle camera shake creates a bit of dynamicism that exacerbates the uneven feel of a rugged film.
Sometimes attention to minute detail can elevate a throwaway scene into the realm of art. The red glow of the taillights painting the back window of an otherwise mundane driving scene adds a bit of flare. While the scene itself isn’t profound, it reflects a quality that often gets overlooked in the indie film industry. Seasoned directors of big budget films never waste a frame. It is this attention to detail that propels good films over the top.
The fight choreography is quite impressive. In fact, some sequences feel like they would find a home in a Jason Bourne film. It’s important to note, that these scenes were not performed by seasoned stunt men or hired martial arts experts, but rather the actors themselves.
Giving credit where credit is due, both Andy Crane and Nathan Shepka share director credits for this film.
Characterization
Once again Nathan Shepka steps into his own production, this time as the lead Alex. We are quickly getting used to seeing strong performances by Nathan. Whether through training or just an incredible knack for the art, Shepka is capable of carrying action on his back. The character of Alex never rises to the heights, or rather sinks to the depths, of say Charles Bronson in Death Wish (1974), but Shepka’s performance as a mercenary bouncer fees very authentic. When coupled with his thick Scottish accent, it is not a stretch to imagine Shepka carrying water in a Guy Ritchie film.
Also posting a strong performance is Patrick Bergin as Holden. Holden is the mastermind behind the underground sex ring. He has all of the confidence of gangster, but the polish of man that likes nice things. This duality makes him especially sleazy. Holden gets the benefit of some great lines, especially in scenes where he dresses down his incompetent front men.
“Six?! <chuckles>
You’re fucking kidding me…
SIX!
You have any idea how many people are in this city?
Over half-a-fuckin million… crawling with deviants and scumbags. Burstin at the seams with them.
And you say you have half a dozen… like I just stepped into the bakers to get some breakfast rolls.”
— Patrick Bergin as Holden
A couple of other honorable mentions include the performances of Kyle McGuinness and Laura Hardie. Kyle plays a thug names ‘K’ that is circling around a young drunk girl like a vulture. This guy is an insufferable scumbag. They reason Kyle’s performance as K is so good is because it feels so fantastic when Alex warms his face up with a baseball bat. Laura plays a young girl named Amy in the brothel. She’s out of her head on drugs as she waits for the next in line to abuse her. Her look is so vacuous and desolate. In her few short seconds of screen time, she exudes crippling despair.
Dead Before They Wake Conclusion
The Shepka Production team deftly assembles some familiar action drama tropes in a way that both feels comfortable while also feeling new. While watching the film, I got vibes that took me through Walking Tall (1973), Taken (2008) and 8mm (1999). There is a reason that this trope works so well through the generations. It cuts deep because we all have this monster inside that wants revenge on people that threaten our loved ones or the innocent.
Dead Before They Wake, unveils the evil of human trafficking in such a way that its impossible not to feel as if the perpetrators are getting what they so richly deserve.
It’s hard to shy away from the fact that this film takes on some difficult material, and at times is hard to watch. Sometimes that is what it takes to make a statement. The team does a fantastic job showing the visceral nature of it all without reveling in the violence and abuse. When combined with stellar technical execution, it all amounts to a very good film.