A One Mann’s Movies review of “Baltimore” (2023) (from the London Film Festival).
(Alternative title: Rose’s War.)
(I’m re-posting this, since “Baltimore” is now showing in UK cinemas. I’ve also updated the rating information and trailer. I’ve also actually upped the rating by half a star, since this is a film that has stayed with me since October when I first saw it and I think I was unduly harsh. )
Imogen Poots has appeared in many different film and TV shows but as yet has not seemed to reach any sort of megastar status. And I’m not quite sure why. Since she is a really impressive actor. Here she takes the leading role in “Baltimore”, an Irish-set IRA-related thriller that tells the story of a heist organised by the British heiress Rose Dugdale back in 1974.
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Plot Summary:
The film is based on actual events. Rose Dugdale (Imogen Poots) is a girl with everything – stinking rich parents, country manor… born with a silver spoon in her mouth. But converted to radicalism at University, she aligns with the Irish Republican movement. In 1974, she is involved with a gang in the raid of a manor house in Ireland and the theft of numerous works of art that they are holding ransom for the return of jailed IRA members.
Certification:
UK: 15; US: NR. (From the BBFC web site: “Strong bloody images, violence, language”).
Talent:
Starring: Imogen Poots, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Lewis Brophy, Jack Meade, Dermot Crowley.
Directed by: Joe Lawlor & Christine Molloy.
Written by: Joe Lawlor & Christine Molloy.
Twitter Handle: -.
Rose’s father and mother (Simon Coury and Carrie Crowley) somewhat surprised to find Rose robbing their house. (Source: Youtube clip from Bankside Films).
“Baltimore” Review:
Positives:
- There is a nice pacing to the film’s scenes making the heist suitably tense and engaging. Not knowing any of the historical background to this true story, I was genuinely in suspense about who was in peril or not. This is particularly true of a later scene with the kindly farmer Donal, excellently played by Dermot Crowley.
- There are some memorable scenes. One involves a student Rose and friend dressing as men to lay siege to the men-only student bar in Oxford. Nice slow-mo action and memorable music (albeit it perhaps outstays its welcome by a few seconds).
- I loved the fact that Rose is an art expert herself and could give chapter and verse on the stolen pictures. You can see the doubt (and indeed the terror) in Poot’s eyes at the thought that she might need to destroy those classic works. (An hilarious, and I assume true, element of the story is when two other art historians get involved in the plot. Crazy!)
- I really liked it that one of the terrorists – Dominic (Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, presumably related to the director – was a civilised and well-spoken man, albeit with strong beliefs. It goes against the type of the thuggish IRA terrorist (as better typified by Martin (Lewis Brophy). Dominic has all the best lines in the film:
- When Martin says he is going to have a gander/mooch/(I can’t remember the exact word he used), Dominic firmly corrects him – “No. You are going on night manoevers”.
- During the burglary, again to Martin “Your aptitude for violence is both an asset and a liability. Right now, it’s the latter”.
- To Rose – “Was it about our uninformed comments on the aesthetics of art?”.
- I enjoyed the rather surreal ending. It had a kind of ‘Butch Cassidy finale’ vibe to it.
Negatives:
- Oh Lord, give me this film and an editing suite! I’m afraid the chopped-up timeline drove me to distraction. You are just getting into the flow and drama of a situation and WHOOOOSH!, you are back with her as a kid or at university or something. I found it so frustrating.
- There the potential for a good biopic of a very interesting character in here. But we don’t really get enough of her early life to understand exactly how and why she was indoctrinated with her views. It would have been better, imho, to either have done it as a straight, linear biopic (but then gone into more detail on the relationships in her early life) or else just focused on the robbery and the aftermath; not both.
- I can’t decide whether I liked the score by Stephen McKeon or not. Parts of it work really well in building the tension. Some of it felt overly strident and intrusive.
Summary Thoughts on “Baltimore”
One thing that struck a personal chord with me was the lead character being asked what her name was at her first university meeting. Without thinking, she gave her middle name – Rose – whereas her first name was Bridget. The exact same thing happened to me! Up until that first day at university I had always been known as “Robert”. Never had any thought or knowingly wanted to be a “Bob”! Yet when I got asked by a girl what my name was on the first day, “Bob” came out of my mouth unbidden! How strange… it must be a sort of “rebirth” thing. But I digress…
I note that I’ve listed a lot more positives than I did negatives which makes me question my rating. But my top negative is a big one. Overall I enjoyed this film. But it should have been a 4*, not a 3*, and would have been if different directorial decisions had been made about the editing. I find that very frustrating.
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Trailer for “Baltimore”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8KCSeFjnMo.
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