Backstory and Production
Baseline is the first feature from writer-director Brendon O’Loughlin. Co-written by star-producer Freddie Connor (based on Rishi Opel’s earlier short The Grind, it was funded as a modest UK/Canada indie (roughly a £2M budget). Filmed on location in East London, the movie premiered on the festival circuit in 2010 – winning Best Director at Philadelphia’s FirstGlance festival and Best Feature/Director at the New York City International Film Festival. Its gritty tagline (“Every friendship has its price”) hints at the loyalty-versus-crime theme. In fact, one reviewer notes that Baseline “had a rather quiet production history” and plays out much like any number of British gangster flicks. The key players behind the scenes were producers Rupert Bryan, Steffen Wild, O’Loughlin and Connor. (Notably, Connor was not only the lead actor but also co-wrote and produced the film, making Baseline a very personal project for him.)
Plot and Characters
The story unfolds in and around “Baseline,” an East London grime club that lines the block every weekend. Danny (Freddie Connor) is the club’s dependable bouncer, saving tips to open a club of his own. When he heroically thwarts an assassination attempt on Terry (Jamie Foreman), the Baseline’s psychotic owner, Danny is yanked into Terry’s criminal world. He’s promoted to manager – but only on the condition he turns a blind eye to drug deals and other illegal business on the dance floor. Danny falls for the caring nurse Jessica (Zoë Tapper) and dreams of escaping with her.
Meanwhile Danny’s best friend Paul (Gordon Alexander) is deep in debt to Terry. After a violent, bungled hit, Paul is shot and jailed, and Danny feels guilty. Six months later, Danny meets Jessica and briefly tries to keep things normal; three years later Paul is released, still owing money. This setup leads inevitably to the final, bloody confrontation: Paul demands revenge on Terry, and Danny must choose between loyalty to his boss, friendship with Paul, and his dreams with Jessica. In short, Baseline tracks Danny’s descent from hopeful club manager into a cornered man forced to betray the only world he’s ever known. (As the official synopsis warns, Danny ends up “forced to make the ultimate sacrifice” when loyalty, morality and ambition collide.)
Cast and Performances
The film leans on familiar Brit-crime faces. Freddie Connor plays the moralistic Danny, and Jamie Foreman is the volatile club-owner/boss Terry. Dexter Fletcher brings swagger as Joe (Terry’s right-hand man), and Zoë Tapper is warm and earnest as Jessica. Gordon Alexander plays Danny’s old friend Paul, while Gary Stretch (as Rob) and Sheraiah Larcher (as Sean) fill out the gang cadre. Foreman and Fletcher provide exactly the kind of cockney menace expected of them, and Tapper gives Jessica a sincere presence. Connor, a newcomer, clearly invested in the role (having co-written the script), holds the center of the film. However, critics are mixed on the performances. One review bluntly calls the acting “quite TV-level,” noting Connor has the look of a good guy but “cannot carry a movie like this,” lacking the charisma to really galvanize the audience. On the other hand, another critic praises the ensemble, saying the cast “acquit themselves extremely well from Jamie Foreman all the way to Zoe Tapper”. In sum, Foreman, Fletcher and Tapper deliver solid turns in familiar gangster-genre styles, while Connor’s earnest lead work is serviceable if not magnetic.
Cinematography and Style
Visually, Baseline punches above its weight. The camera roams the dank East End streets and club interiors with a tough, moody energy. Cinematographers Andreas Thalhammer and Xiaosu Han give the film a surprisingly polished look for an indie – reviewers note the cinematography is “very slick” for its scale. Many scenes (like the alley confrontation pictured below) use harsh lighting and deep shadows to create a forbidding, almost noir-ish vibe. The style is spare and “spartan” rather than flashy: the film avoids lens flares and slow-mo in favor of gritty realism. Fight scenes are shot raw and close-up; as one critic observes, when violence erupts it “feels brutal rather than stylish”. In other words, director O’Loughlin opts for an in-your-face palette of neon club lights and dingy streets, matching the film’s grimy, pessimistic tone
Reception
Baseline received a lukewarm response overall. It holds about a 5.1/10 on IMDb (from ~660 user ratings), reflecting a modest approval. Rotten Tomatoes has no Tomatometer (no critic reviews), and its audience “Popcornmeter” sits around the halfway mark (roughly 50%). For example, Czech film site ČSFD reports a 49% user rating. No major critics flocked to it, but those who did praised its gritty atmosphere even as they faulted its familiarity. One reviewer gave it 6/10, calling it “a moderately gritty crime drama” that never quite distinguishes itself in the crowded East End gangster sub-genre. Fan reviews on sites like Letterboxd echo this split – one calls it a solid “well-’ard East End gangster thriller,” while another quips (somewhat jokingly) that it feels more like “flatline” than baseline. In short, Baseline works as a competent B-movie: solidly made but unoriginal. Audiences who enjoy British crime fare may find it a satisfying, grimy time-waster, but others have criticized its predictable plot and pacing glitches (the film leaps ahead by months or years several times, which some viewers found jarring
Box Office & Streaming
As a small indie, Baseline never made any splash at the box office – it earned no reported theatrical revenues and was distributed quietly, mainly on home video. In today’s terms, it’s easiest to find on digital platforms. JustWatch notes the film is available to rent or buy (for example, on Apple TV in the UK for £3.49/£5.99). It does not appear on major subscription services like Netflix or Prime, so interested viewers must seek out DVD/Blu-ray or digital purchase options.
Verdict
Baseline is a grimy slice of Brit-crime drama that plays like a bare-knuckle brawl in a back-alley club. It never reinvents the genre – in fact, it wears its influences on its sleeve – but it delivers what it promises: a dark, uncompromising look at loyalty and violence in the London underground. The film’s strongest assets are its atmosphere and cast; the visuals are slick for the budget, and Foreman/Fletcher/Tapper give the gritty roles the necessary heft. However, the script offers few surprises (many find it predictable) and lead Freddie Connor, while earnest, doesn’t quite elevate the material. In the end, Baseline feels like a competent rival to other indie gangster flicks, but without the spark to make it memorable. It’s a welcome addition for fans of London crime dramas, but casual viewers may see it as another “been-there” genre entry.
Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)