Written and directed by Martin Law, co-written by Dean Gregson and Jordan Derbyshire, a drug dealer begins to question his life choices when his violent partner-in-crime is released from prison. Starring: James Nelson-Joyce, Kyle Rowe, Olivia Frances Brown, Kru Lundy, Ross Thompson, Andrew Purcell and Robyn Sass.
You can find a lot of crime driven drama made in the UK but whereas television has had huge success with the genre, film can often struggle. Primarily that’s because trying to find the right balance between the grit and violence, and the emotion and relationships is extremely difficult and often misjudged, especially when you’re trying to be sincere. That’s exactly why Martin Law, Dean Gregson and Jordan Derbyshire deserve a great deal of credit for what they’ve achieved with Reputation.
With so many other films having fallen into classic issues of being empty or shallow, focusing too much on the violence and not creating tangible characters, to see Reputation create strong characters and tell their story with an engaging tone, is surprisingly satisfying. Revolving the entire story around Wes (James Nelson-Joyce) being on the precipice of making better decisions and changing his life for the better, was a great choice. It leaves things nicely tense in waiting to see what will happen next to tip the scales one way or the other.
Especially when you’ve got the quintessential, toxic tough guy in Tommy (Kyle Rowe), putting the two head to head creates a strong intensity that keeps you locked in. Part of that is also how Martin Law brings a sense of foreboding throughout Reputation, as well as some cleverly chosen foreshadowing that’s fairly subtle. Coming in at under ninety minutes, it moves well, the progression is right where it needs to be, it’s continually adding to itself but never rushing or overwhelming itself, keeping an organic feel.
The atmosphere is tense and manages to keep that going consistently, while mixing in some emotional notes, as well as darker and threatening ones. It can lean a bit too heavily on the close-up, missing out on an opportunity to add more variety to the direction but it’s solid work throughout. The cinematography can also be a touch on the dark side, but it does feel like an appropriate choice, even if it’s not always the most effective. The editing similarly works well for the most part but in Reputation’s final scenes, it can chop things up a bit too much. However, these are extremely minor issues given that this is Martin Law’s debut feature.
Another strength of Reputation is of course the leading performance from James Nelson-Joyce. He perfectly captures that foot stuck in both worlds persona, he can see the errors of his ways but is also struggling to pull himself completely into a new life. He’s still got the toughness but you also see his vulnerable side when he’s with his family. The way that Nelson-Joyce delivers this portrayal makes him very easy to relate too and sympathise with. It’s also interesting to compare him in this film with his role in Andrea Arnold’s Bird, they have a few things in common but thankfully Wes is a much more likable character.
The rest of the cast given great support, Kyle Rowe brings up that dislikable quota and makes Tommy a truly awful character, which speaks to the quality of his performance. Olivia Frances Brown enhances the emotional side, she has a strong chemistry with Nelson-Joyce, helping the film hold onto its sincerity and balance.
Reputation is a great example of what British independent cinema has to offer. Martin Law gets so much right where so many others have fallen short. The atmosphere and tone are right on the money, the story is engaging and it never focuses too much on the violence. Law manages to instil the grit without giving up the sincerity, and while there might be some teething issues with the visual choices, none of them detract from the quality overall. It’s tense and captivating and is led by an excellent performance from James Nelson-Joyce, proving that he’s deserving of more leading roles.
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