Reputation (2024 film)

Last updated
Reputation
Reputation film promotional poster.jpg
Directed byMartin Law
Written byMartin Law
Dean Gregson
Jordan Derbyshire
Produced byMartin Law
Starring James Nelson-Joyce
Kyle Rowe
Olivia Frances Brown
CinematographyDaniel Llobera
Edited byMichael Milligan
Music byJake Bradford-Sharp
Production
company
Factory Noir
Distributed byTrinity Creative Partnership [1]
Release dates
  • September 29, 2024 (2024-09-29)(Spirit of Independence Film Festival)
  • July 28, 2025 (2025-07-28)(United Kingdom)
  • September 23, 2025 (2025-09-23)(United States)
Running time
82 minutes [1]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

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]

Contents

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

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]

References

  1. 1 2 "Reputation (18)". British Board of Film Classification . 21 July 2025. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
  2. ↑ Law, Martin (2024-09-29), Reputation (Crime, Drama), James Nelson-Joyce, Kyle Rowe, Olivia Frances Brown, Factory Noir, retrieved 2025-02-07
  3. ↑ "Reputation". SOI Festival. Retrieved 2025-02-07.
  4. 1 2 "Nerdly » Spirit of Independence Film Festival 2024: 'Reputation' Review" . Retrieved 2025-02-07.
  5. ↑ "Spirit of Independence 2024: Reputation". Warped Perspective. 2024-10-25. Retrieved 2025-02-07.
  6. ↑ Rebecca (2024-11-05). "Review: Reputation". FilmCarnage.com. Retrieved 2025-02-07.
  7. 1 2 "Reputation (2024) | Radio Times". www.radiotimes.com. Retrieved 2025-08-03.
  8. 1 2 "Reputation Review: Kitchen-Knife Realism at Its Finest - Gazettely". 2025-07-22. Retrieved 2025-08-03.
  9. ↑ Reputation (2024) - Release info - IMDb . Retrieved 2025-08-03– via www.imdb.com.
  10. ↑ "Reputation (2024) - Feature Film". Reputation (2024) - Feature Film. Retrieved 2025-02-07.
  11. 1 2 "Director Martin Law Discusses Indie Crime Drama 'REPUTATION' and Low-Budget Filmmaking Challenges – Exclusive Interview". Director Martin Law Discusses Indie Crime Drama 'REPUTATION' and Low-Budget Filmmaking Challenges – Exclusive Interview | Britflicks. Retrieved 2025-02-20.
  12. ↑ "The East Lancs towns and pub that feature in 'gritty' film featuring Disney star". Lancashire Telegraph. 2024-03-03. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 2025-02-20.
  13. ↑ Clarke, Cath (2025-07-22). "Reputation review – front and swagger in brawling portrait of British male rage". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2025-08-03.
  14. ↑ France, Lisa Respers (2025-04-09). "Ed Sheeran apparently has a (formerly) secret Letterbox account". CNN. Retrieved 2025-09-29.
  15. ↑ "A ★★★ review of Reputation (2024)". letterboxd.com. Retrieved 2025-09-29.
  16. ↑ Kensington, Sara (2025-05-19). "National Film Awards UK 2025 – 11th annual Nominations Revealed". National Film Awards. Retrieved 2025-05-20.


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