Vague Visages’ Baltimore review contains minor spoilers. Joe Lawlor and Christine Molloy’s 2023 movie features Imogen Poots, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor and Lewis Brophy. Check out the VV home page for more film reviews, along with cast/character summaries, streaming guides and complete soundtrack song listings.

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Imogen Poots delivers a career-best performance in Baltimore, the latest feature from filmmakers Joe Lawlor and Christine Molloy (Rose Plays Julie). The actress portrays Rose Dugdale, a rebellious English heiress who joined the Provisional Irish Republican Army and masterminded the 1974 theft of 19 “old master” paintings. More of a chamber piece psychological drama than a traditional political thriller, Baltimore clamps down on audience expectations like the focal antihero locks her gaze on potential enemies. The film’s score, designed like a classic Hollywood noir, is wonderfully dramatic, especially when paired with cinematographer Tom Comerford’s slow zooms and pans, with Poots leading the way as a woman fully committed to her cause.

Baltimore jumps back and forth in time to communicate Rose’s motivations. During a flashback scene, she compares a potential meeting with the Queen as a “pornographic affair.” At Oxford University in 1959, Rose rallies female students while screaming “down with the patriarchy,” a moment that seems more like convenient revisionist history — theoretically designed for 2024 feminists — than a purely believable moment. Even so, Lawlor and Molloy stay consistent with their character sketch, and Poots isn’t just good in Baltimore — she’s breathtakingly brilliant. The actress seamlessly shifts between a natural English voice and a faux French accent, with her character’s glamorous charm and early-stage pregnancy creating audience sympathy. But Poots also produces some psychopathic charm in Baltimore, first during a heist scene as Rose wears smeared Joker-like makeup, and later during the climax as the antihero’s anxiety overrides her self-awareness. There’s a touch of Che Guevara in the performance, as it’s unclear if the rebel Rose is a political activist willing to use violence or just a calculated killer who seeks power.

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Baltimore’s examination of Rose’s morality allows for some creative flexibility, specifically in terms of visual motifs. Poots’ character recalls her first kill as a child while fox hunting, and the filmmakers link this moment to violent tendencies in the present. In addition, Rose speaks fondly of a daydreaming element in Johannes Vermeer’s 1671 painting Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid, which in turn translates to the character’s overall mindset. However, a couple split-screen visuals add little to Baltimore, though one could link the chopped-up imagery to Rose’s fractured mind.

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The male characters in Baltimore enrich the film’s emotional depth. Comrades named Dominic (Tom Vaughan-Lawlor) and Martin (Lewis Brophy) simultaneously fear and respect Rose, with each and every conversation solidifying this dynamic. And though Rose’s lover, Eddie (Jack Meade), only appears in a few scenes, his respect also shines through while strengthening the daydream element (he hopes to reunite with Poots’ character at a safe house in Baltimore, a village in western County Cork, Ireland). The directors — who also co-wrote the screenplay — quietly highlight the personality traits of both Dominic and Martin, which paves the way for a dramatic encounter between Rose and a partially-blind local named Donal (Dermot Crowley). From beginning to end, Lawlor and Molloy continuously suggest that Rose is willing to eliminate anyone in her path; a storytelling device that prompts questions about her childhood and if she’s ready to bring a precious life into her violent world.

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“I feel afraid,” Rose says in Baltimore when asked about being a mother. In this particular scene, Poots sells the moment with her steely gaze and blunt delivery. She does the same when sizing up a fisherman, only this time Rose’s eyes lock onto her target, much like a hunter locks a scope on prey. It’s both terrifying and thrilling. Baltimore keeps the audience immersed in such moments via claustrophobic visuals and booming sound design, but the filmmakers also allow one to step back and appreciate the spectacular acting. For a female-led biography movie like Baltimore, too many writer-directors would play it safe with rah-rah dialogue. Fortunately, Lawlor, Molloy and company found a way to complement the complicated historical premise by prioritizing the complexities of the human mind.

Baltimore releases theatrically on March 22, 2024 via Icon Film Distribution and Eclipse Pictures.

Q.V. Hough (@QVHough) is Vague Visages’ founding editor.

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