{"id":2,"date":"2025-04-23T12:06:07","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T12:06:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/baselinethemovie.com\/?page_id=2"},"modified":"2025-04-24T11:39:48","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T11:39:48","slug":"sample-page","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/baselinethemovie.com\/","title":{"rendered":"Baseline (2010) \u2013 Film Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"717\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/baselinethemovie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/tZQ02cgi3V3N0RUzK436jZgSRtS-717x1024.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10\" srcset=\"https:\/\/baselinethemovie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/tZQ02cgi3V3N0RUzK436jZgSRtS-717x1024.webp 717w, https:\/\/baselinethemovie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/tZQ02cgi3V3N0RUzK436jZgSRtS-210x300.webp 210w, https:\/\/baselinethemovie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/tZQ02cgi3V3N0RUzK436jZgSRtS-768x1097.webp 768w, https:\/\/baselinethemovie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/tZQ02cgi3V3N0RUzK436jZgSRtS-1075x1536.webp 1075w, https:\/\/baselinethemovie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/tZQ02cgi3V3N0RUzK436jZgSRtS.webp 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 717px) 100vw, 717px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Backstory and Production<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Baseline<\/em> is the first feature from writer-director Brendon O\u2019Loughlin. Co-written by star-producer Freddie Connor (based on Rishi Opel\u2019s earlier short <em>The Grind<\/em>\u200b, it was funded as a modest UK\/Canada indie (roughly a \u00a32M budget). Filmed on location in East London, the movie premiered on the festival circuit in 2010 \u2013 winning Best Director at Philadelphia\u2019s FirstGlance festival and Best Feature\/Director at the New York City International Film Festival\u200b. Its gritty tagline (\u201cEvery friendship has its price\u201d\u200b) hints at the loyalty-versus-crime theme. In fact, one reviewer notes that <em>Baseline<\/em> \u201chad a rather quiet production history\u201d and plays out much like any number of British gangster flicks\u200b. The key players behind the scenes were producers Rupert Bryan, Steffen Wild, O\u2019Loughlin and Connor\u200b. (Notably, Connor was not only the lead actor but also co-wrote and produced the film, making <em>Baseline<\/em> a very personal project for him\u200b.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Plot and Characters<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The story unfolds in and around \u201cBaseline,\u201d an East London grime club that lines the block every weekend. Danny (Freddie Connor) is the club\u2019s dependable bouncer, saving tips to open a club of his own. When he heroically thwarts an assassination attempt on Terry (Jamie Foreman), the Baseline\u2019s psychotic owner, Danny is yanked into Terry\u2019s criminal world. He\u2019s promoted to manager \u2013 but only on the condition he turns a blind eye to drug deals and other illegal business on the dance floor\u200b. Danny falls for the caring nurse Jessica (Zo\u00eb Tapper) and dreams of escaping with her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile Danny\u2019s 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\u200b. 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, <em>Baseline<\/em> tracks Danny\u2019s descent from hopeful club manager into a cornered man forced to betray the only world he\u2019s ever known\u200b. (As the official synopsis warns, Danny ends up \u201cforced to make the ultimate sacrifice\u201d when loyalty, morality and ambition collide\u200b.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Baseline - Trailer\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5uM12iclgQA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Cast and Performances<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The film leans on familiar Brit-crime faces. Freddie Connor plays the moralistic Danny, and Jamie Foreman is the volatile club-owner\/boss Terry\u200b. Dexter Fletcher brings swagger as Joe (Terry\u2019s right-hand man), and Zo\u00eb Tapper is warm and earnest as Jessica\u200b. Gordon Alexander plays Danny\u2019s old friend Paul\u200b, while Gary Stretch (as Rob) and Sheraiah Larcher (as Sean) fill out the gang cadre\u200b. 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 \u201cquite TV-level,\u201d noting Connor has the look of a good guy but \u201ccannot carry a movie like this,\u201d lacking the charisma to really galvanize the audience\u200b. On the other hand, another critic praises the ensemble, saying the cast \u201cacquit themselves extremely well from Jamie Foreman all the way to Zoe Tapper\u201d\u200b. In sum, Foreman, Fletcher and Tapper deliver solid turns in familiar gangster-genre styles, while Connor\u2019s earnest lead work is serviceable if not magnetic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Cinematography and Style<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Visually, <em>Baseline<\/em> 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 \u2013 reviewers note the cinematography is \u201cvery slick\u201d for its scale\u200b. 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 \u201cspartan\u201d\u200b 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 \u201cfeels brutal rather than stylish\u201d\u200b. In other words, director O\u2019Loughlin opts for an in-your-face palette of neon club lights and dingy streets, matching the film\u2019s grimy, pessimistic tone\u200b<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Reception<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Baseline<\/em> received a lukewarm response overall. It holds about a <strong>5.1\/10<\/strong> on IMDb (from ~660 user ratings)\u200b, reflecting a modest approval. Rotten Tomatoes has no Tomatometer (no critic reviews), and its audience \u201cPopcornmeter\u201d sits around the halfway mark (roughly 50%)\u200b. For example, Czech film site \u010cSFD reports a <strong>49%<\/strong> user rating\u200b. No major critics flocked to it, but those who did praised its gritty atmosphere even as they faulted its familiarity. One reviewer gave it <strong>6\/10<\/strong>, calling it \u201ca moderately gritty crime drama\u201d that never quite distinguishes itself in the crowded East End gangster sub-genre\u200b. Fan reviews on sites like Letterboxd echo this split \u2013 one calls it a solid \u201cwell-\u2019ard East End gangster thriller,\u201d while another quips (somewhat jokingly) that it feels more like \u201cflatline\u201d than <em>baseline<\/em>. In short, <em>Baseline<\/em> 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\u200b<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Box Office &amp; Streaming<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>As a small indie, <em>Baseline<\/em> never made any splash at the box office \u2013 it earned no reported theatrical revenues and was distributed quietly, mainly on home video. In today\u2019s terms, it\u2019s 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 \u00a33.49\/\u00a35.99)\u200b. 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Verdict<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Baseline<\/em> 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 \u2013 in fact, it wears its influences on its sleeve \u2013 but it delivers what it promises: a dark, uncompromising look at loyalty and violence in the London underground. The film\u2019s 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\u200b. However, the script offers few surprises (many find it predictable\u200b) and lead Freddie Connor, while earnest, doesn\u2019t quite elevate the material. In the end, <em>Baseline<\/em> feels like a competent rival to other indie gangster flicks, but without the spark to make it memorable. It\u2019s a welcome addition for fans of London crime dramas, but casual viewers may see it as another \u201cbeen-there\u201d genre entry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Rating:<\/strong> \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606\u2606 (3\/5)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Backstory and Production Baseline is the first feature from writer-director Brendon O\u2019Loughlin. Co-written by star-producer Freddie Connor (based on Rishi Opel\u2019s earlier short The Grind\u200b, it was funded as a modest UK\/Canada indie (roughly a \u00a32M budget). Filmed on location in East London, the movie premiered on the festival circuit in 2010 \u2013 winning Best [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/baselinethemovie.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/baselinethemovie.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/baselinethemovie.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baselinethemovie.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baselinethemovie.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/baselinethemovie.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12,"href":"https:\/\/baselinethemovie.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2\/revisions\/12"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/baselinethemovie.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}