The Inspection

"(Pope's) work is so powerful that it highlights some of the weaknesses—mostly in writing, not acting—through the rest of the film because he’s such a force of nature in this movie."

"(Bratton's) confidence as a film-maker might ultimately outpace his ability as a writer in the last act, but The Inspection still marks him out as one to watch."

"Although some of The Inspection is predictable, the strong central performances mitigate the picture’s more conventional aspects."

"Pope carries the character with such depth and such ease that there seem to be no lines between performer and character."

"It gets into your head and wrenches your heart, and while the results are often grim, there's a layer of hope lurking beneath it all as Ellis comes into his own."

"The Inspection is too invested in its slavish sense of treacly cinematic optimism to fully reckon with the scope of the trauma that its main character lives with."

"(Bratton) fills The Inspection with style, with spiky humour and alluring edge. It’s a promising feature debut."

"Pope gives a career-igniting performance in the role (of French)..."

"An acutely personal drama shimmering with the raw pain, pride and hard-won elation of lived experience..."