Reputation (2024 film)
2024 British crime drama
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Reputation is a 2024 British psychological drama crime film set in the fictional Lancashire town of Dennings. Co-written, directed and produced by Martin Law, the independent film stars James Nelson-Joyce as a small time drug dealer who begins to question his life choices when his violent partner-in-crime is released from prison.[2]
Dean Gregson
Jordan Derbyshire
Kyle Rowe
Olivia Frances Brown
| Reputation | |
|---|---|
Film poster | |
| Directed by | Martin Law |
| Written by | Martin Law Dean Gregson Jordan Derbyshire |
| Produced by | Martin Law |
| Starring | James Nelson-Joyce Kyle Rowe Olivia Frances Brown |
| Cinematography | Daniel Llobera |
| Edited by | Michael Milligan |
| Music by | Jake Bradford-Sharp |
Production company | Factory Noir |
| Distributed by | Trinity Creative Partnership[1] |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 82 minutes[1] |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The film premiered at the Spirit of Independence Film Festival in 2024,[3] qualifying for the British Independent Film Awards, and it has received strong reviews from critics, particularly for the performances.[4][5][6][7][8] The film was released digitally in the UK on 28th July 2025.[9]
Plot
With more and more residents in Dennings getting hooked on "Clown" – a new form of ecstasy – it’s 30-year-old drug dealer Wes who’s cashing in. He’s happy keeping the operation small in his rough-and-ready home town; but when partner-in-crime Tommy returns from a short stint in prison, Wes starts to question if this life is for him anymore.[10]
Cast
- James Nelson-Joyce as Wes
- Kyle Rowe as Tommy
- Olivia Frances Brown as Zoe
- Kru Lundy as Vince
- Ross Thompson as Grayson
- Robyn Sass as Tasha
- Robyn Sass as Becky
- Andrew Purcell as Aidan
Production
Casting
Co-lead Kyle Rowe joined the cast just a few days before filming began.[11]
Filming
Principal photography took place in Lancashire in October 2023, with filming locations including Great Harwood, Accrington, Clayton-le-Moors, Burnley and Preston.[12] The film was shot in 9.5 days, with rehearsals taking place right before the filming of each scene.[11]
Reception
Critical response
The film has received a mixture of five, four and three star reviews.
The Radio Times gave the film four stars out of five, with critic Dave Golder writing: "First-time director Martin Law shoots in a style that wavers between the gritty realism of Nicolas Winding Refn's Pusher films and the darker end of the British TV crime show spectrum."[7]
Critic Kevin Haldon of Nerdly described the film in his five star review as "Damn impressive", going on to say: "Everything Reputation does right, it does it VERY right."[4]
The Guardian gave the film three stars, calling the film “A brawling portrait of British male rage... Rowe’s ferocious performance feels horribly real.”[13]
In addition to praising the performances, critic Shahrbanoo Golmohamadi of Gazettely highlighted Martin Law’s direction in her four star review, saying: "He crafts a world that is grounded, gritty, and unflinching, a style that might be called kitchen-knife realism."[8]
Singer Ed Sheeran rated the film three stars in his Letterboxd[14] review, writing: "Great performances, great British movie."[15]
Awards and nominations
In 2025, the film received a nomination for Best Independent Film at the National Film Awards UK.[16]