Cardboard Gangsters

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.

I enjoyed it, but you have to forgive a lot in the story telling. A lot of it is very random. But overall it's entertaining.

Good, gritty crime film.

'Cardboard Gangsters' is very much worth a watch, it's relatively well made. The plot is nothing spectacular, you can probably guess where it's all heading, though that doesn't mean it's a bad film one bit.

John Connors carries things nicely as Jay, but Fionn Walton as Dano would be my pick of the bunch - he is pretty impressive. Damien Dempsey and Kierston Wareing also give noteworthy performances.

It's a little predictable no doubt, but this is a film that is definitely worth viewing.

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.

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.