One of our very own Doctors has an exciting and thrilling new film out now! Sylvester McCoy, the Seventh Doctor, stars in Dead Before They Wake, a high-intensity revenge thriller. Available to watch via all digital platforms in the UK and the US and coming to Scandinavian screens very soon, this Shepka Productions project will have you seeing the good doctor in a very different light.
McCoy stars along side Grace Cordell, Manjot Sumal, Patrick Bergin, Nathan Shepka, and Kareem Sarif in the film described as a "brutal, topical thriller". Written and directed by Nathan Shepka, this film is a tough look at what goes on in the trafficking underground in the UK.
"We wanted to base the film on real events and researched how UK sex trafficking gangs operate to give the film a grounded sense of reality. It is important to highlight what goes on every day and can often be ignored by the mainstream. We don’t feel any studio would have taken on the story in this way, it is likely to be a divisive and controversial portrayal. Ultimately there still has to be a pay-off for the audience; the film culminates in a brutal revenge-driven showdown."Nathan Shepka
McCoy plays the part of Evan, a retired lawyer who hires the hard-case vigilante Alex (Shepka) to help with a delicate problem. A problem that involves a government official, his heroin-addicted mistress, and their lost daughter Bianca. Evan recruits Alex specifically because there is something special about Bianca that makes Alex her only hope for rescue, and the £20,000 payment Evan offers is just an added incentive. With nothing and everything to lose, Alex takes the case - and the chaos and bloodshed begins.
Through it all though, McCoy is there like a calming breeze, a warm figure to hold your hand through the graveyard, someone who helps shield you from the ugliness that Alex has to navigate to get to the taken girl.
"He's got a bit of a presence and a bit of a quirk and that sort of charm which even though it's a dark film, that comes across quite well on the screen."Nathan Shepka on McCoy
Shepka goes on to say that McCoy is incredibly sharp and nailed every single one of his scenes. For the viewers, McCoy brings a necessary lightness to an overwhelmingly dark film. Although the thematic elements can be disturbing at times, Dead Before They Wake delivers an imperative message about the realities of trafficking around the globe and is well worth the watch for the action, thrills, and social commentaries.
Filmed in and around Glasgow, the story moves at a steady pace, a medium burn that ratchets up your unease for the young women in town. You find yourself wanting to save them from the likes of Amar and his gang while wishing you could be like Alex, a man with a bat and a mission.
Shepka is a veritable badass in the role of Alex, he throws himself into any fight in the pursuit of justice and isn't afraid to get bloody when it comes to protecting those that need protection.
Sylvester McCoy portrayed the Seventh Doctor from 1987 to 1989 and returned briefly in 1990, 1993, and 1996. His companions for that run were Mel and Ace, played by Bonnie Langford and Sophie Aldred respectively.
It is always a good feeling when we see one of our earlier regenerations of the Doctor still out there taking names and practicing their craft so we wish Mr. McCoy all the best with this project and his upcoming ones.