Small-time drug dealer Wes (James Nelson-Joyce) has a good thing going in his hometown of Dennings, with a growing stream of punters getting hooked on a form of ecstasy called “Clown.” He’s in a stable relationship with Zoe (Olivia Frances Brown), they’ve recently welcomed a son into the world and, longer term, they’re looking to make the move to their ideal location. All of that is jeopardised when Wes’ partner Tommy (Kyle Rowe) is released from prison and targets bigger and better things for their operation. To say Tommy is a loose cannon is an understatement and his increasingly erratic behaviour threatens to end in disaster for everyone in his orbit.
In development for over ten years, director (and co-writer with Dean Gregson and Jordan Derbyshire) Martin Law’s unflinching slice of life in a northern town rings with authenticity, from the grimy surroundings to the expletive-laden screenplay and sudden, vicious bursts of violence, mostly kept off-screen but shot in a way that feels up close and personal, forcing the viewer into becoming an uneasy onlooker.
We’ve been in the company of an unstable, criminal presence many times before and Tommy may initially seem to be a one-dimensional character, heading off to see – and giving a seeing to – local girl Tasha (Robyn Sass) in an encounter which doesn’t even avoid a pre-climax slap because the woman dared to see some humour in the situation. Tommy has learned nothing from his time inside, except perhaps a new perspective on refining his illegal activities in a place where a police presence seems to be absent much of the time.
However, as the story progresses, it’s clear that there’s no redemption for Tommy and that what you see is what you get – he’s a fragile, boorish thug who resorts to spiking the whisky of the town’s resident drunk for shits and giggles or breaking a guy’s nose because the bloke went to University and obviously, to Tommy at least, thought he was in some way better than everyone else. Wes has always seen this side to Tommy, but their time apart brings Tommy’s cavalier disregard for everyone but himself into sharp focus.
This is an unashamedly down and dirty British view of the “small time crim trying to make good” subgenre and where its American counterparts would often throw in an action set piece too flashy for its own good, Reputation keeps things admirably low key, dragging the supporting characters into a scenario where the tension simmers, even in the scenes without Tommy crashing the proceedings. A subplot involving an unsolved child murder in the area gives the tale extra momentum and throws the spotlight on Tasha’s sister Becky (Sass again) who still can’t get past her grief.
Of course, things start to go wrong, not helped in the slightest by Tommy’s incompetent sidekick Grayson (Ross Thompson) and, as Wes sees a growing threat to both his family and friends Aidan (Andrew Purcell) and Lips (Stephen Rostron), a confrontation seems inevitable. The final act throws in a couple of shocking developments, given extra punch because we’ve been allowed into the lives of those threatened to the point that, even though their law breaking can’t be ignored totally, there’s a sympathetic side to them.
The very end of Reputation may jar with some because it potentially leaves space for the viewer to work out what happens next, but I was absolutely fine, even happy, with some of the plot threads hanging as the credits rolled. Life is messy. Punchy without falling into the trap of going so big that the denouement undermines the preceding hour and twenty, the last shot resonates more keenly than a melodramatic closer would.
Bringing familiar elements to the thriller genre but having some tricks of its own, this is an impressive calling card for both Martin Law and his talented cast. Nelson-Joyce is thoroughly engaging, adding depth to an already well-written protagonist; Rowe is consistently, realistically unhinged and Sass is fantastic in her dual role to such an extent that I had no idea she was playing both parts until I read the end credits. If you’re in the mood for a moody, tense thriller and don’t flinch when you hear the c-word (if you do, prepare to flinch a lot), Reputation will fit the bill and then some.
Reputation featured at this year’s Spirit of Independence Film Festival at Sheffield, UK.