Cardboard Gangsters

I feel the 6.5 on IMDB is spot on. Its a great amateur film and very true to life. Very tense the whole way through, most of the dialogue was spot on and it really gave a glimpse into the lives and mindset of those living in darndale, one of the roughest suburbs of dublin. Loads of social problems but very close knit family units and a strong sense of community. Those horses actually do run about the place as well.

Well worth a watch.

Watched it many times since released. Love these types of low-budget UK/Irish/Scottish criminal/hooligan films as even though low budget they are far superior to the high-budget films as you don't expect much from them. Defo worth the watch.

The only downside is, that I enjoyed the music in the film yet no soundtrack was ever released and trying to find the complete tracklist, I give up in the end. Would love this to be released.

Really I gave it a seven because it did so many things right. But the overall story was lacking. You can tell it had a low budget but it was done well. The main character did a good job and the camera work was gritty. The only scenes that didn't work for me were the dancing scenes but that might have just been me. Whoever directed this film should get more work. Lastly I dug the heavy dialect it made the movie all that more convincing.

I didn't read any reviews before watching I just stumbled accross the movie on Netflix and figured I'd give it a go. The story is okay but it's been done a million times before. I do think they did a good job with it though overall. The acting is okay too nothing brilliant. If you're in to films like this though I'd definitely reccomend giving it a watch. I wasn't bored at all watching the whole film which is quite unusual for me. I also developed a liking for the main character.

I was surprised to see so many negative reviews for Cardboard Gangsters, I personally thought it was extremely impressive. Many of these council estate gangster movies are far too excessive and unrealistic, but this movie feels authentic and believable thanks to a really solid cast. John Connors' lead performance was particularly impressive and should be a sign of good things to come for him.

What impressed me most was its ability to capture the horrifying bleakness of life on these estates while never becoming too heavy or overbearing. Being ninety minutes long certainly helps, as does a strong soundtrack and engaging characters.

I appreciate that this type of story has been done many times and that there was nothing particularly original about the plot. But despite that, the combination of strong acting, powerful cinematography and excellent pacing makes this a thoroughly impressive production.