Film Reviews
“Nothing Man” Film Review
Stephen Gallacher’s “Nothing Man” exemplifies British cinema

Stephen Gallacher’s Nothing Man, an exceptionally made thriller, will resonate with British film aficionados. Starring Daniel Hall, Jennifer Jordan, Tony Goodall, and Ric Vince as Noam, Lana, Harry, and Twink, respectively, is a crime noir thriller with more than a hint of realism. The film, from the opening shot to the beginning of the closing credits, feels like it’s grounded in reality.
People familiar with either Dead Man’s Shoes and or Memento might recognise a hint of those productions within what the director achieved with this film. There is a darkness to the film’s hero which reverberates more with villains than it does with classical white hats. For want of a better term, Noam is more of an antihero. It’s the shades of grey, with a healthy combination of good and bad, that makes antiheroes so enticing. The brutality seen in many British films has a vivid realism to it which many American productions fail to attain.
When news of Twink’s death reaches Noam, he doesn’t stop to question the messenger. For some reason, Noam trusted Harry. There is no readily apparent reason for Noam to not trust him. No one sees Harry’s duplicitous nature until it’s too late.
With unexpected twists and turns, the story takes us down paths we didn’t see coming. The dream sequence at the beginning reveals there are dark troubling times ahead. Further dream sequences suggest a resurfacing of lost memories. When Noam discovers Twink has been murdered, he is determined to find the truth behind his best friend’s death. Lana, and his trusted ally Harry, do whatever it takes to get to the truth. The more Noam digs for the truth, the more chilling his world becomes!

The streets, especially for the homeless, can be a dangerous place. Noam has no memory of his past. With him not remembering his name, it’s clear he suffers from retrograde amnesia. His amnesia, apparently caused by a blow to the back of the head, made him forget everything about his past.
People were killed so that Noam’s member could be jogged. Noam, previously known as John, had apparently killed Harry’s brother Del (Richard Kershaw). Whenever you’re dealing with ruthless families, there is always someone looking for revenge. It wasn’t as much about revenge for as it was the missing £3 million pounds. Even though Fozzy (Paul Mayo Mason) believed it was about getting revenge for Del’s death, for Harry, it was only ever about the money.
Harry had been carefully guiding Noam toward remembering certain details pertaining to his recent past. He skilfully embedded himself in the camp to get close to Noam. Moving characters toward each other like pieces on a chessboard, Harry manipulates everyone within his reach.
Jordan’s approach to her character isn’t forced. It suggests an authenticity which is rarely seen in either film or television. There is a natural flow to Jordan’s character which makes Lana come alive. Even though Hall plays the lead character, there is something about Lana which captures our attention.
In addition to Hall, Jordan, and Goodall, Nothing Man stars Ric Vince, Paul Mayo Mason, Christopher Tauers, Arron Dennis, and Joe Buckton. The film also features Helen Dowson, Jack Hobbs, Richard Kershaw, Jamie McKeller, Graham Smith, and Pam Vince.
Nothing Man, distributed in these United States by Highoctane Pictures, is scheduled for release on DVD and Digital Tuesday, 14 January 2020.