Cardboard Gangsters

This is an extremely underrated movie. I personally like well made low budget underground movies which this is definitely one. All natural flow. But ending is stupidly fast, spontaneous and heartbreaking. How on earth a a cool and smart guy as pictured can be so dull to have no suspicion and could be easily ambushed. It missed a ten...

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.

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.

This is my second in a row Irish gangster flick, the other being "Calm With Horses". Seems the Irish get their kicks with violent crime movies just like us Americans. I have to say though, the small time gang in this one never had a chance against the local drug lord and his thugs, and a hothead like Connolly (John Connors) was too self centered to realize that unintended consequences would come his way every time he flew off the handle. Getting involved with Kim Murphy (Kierston Wareing) was a major pitfall that would have been discovered in due time with an outcome on the ugly side. I got the biggest kick out of Jay's buddy Dano (Fionn Walton) who talked big but was unable to back up any of his statements or actions. For the non-Irish viewer, it takes a while to get accustomed to the dialog and what the characters are talking about. After enough mentions though, I figured out that a 'gaff' was a place where someone lived, but my favorite was 'session moths', which apparently referred to girls who liked to party. The story has an abrupt if not exactly telegraphed ending when Derra (Jimmy Smallhorne) caught up with Dano and Jay, the biggest mystery being why Jay ran back to Kim out of some sense of loyalty. He should have figured that with the guys he was messing with, she would have been pressured to have him show up to get what was coming to him. He got what was coming big time.

Well, its a low budget movie, with low ranked actors,,a boarding school - aged script,and an ''out of money''-abrupt ending,that should tell alot.but not the whole truth, as i'm writing this rewiew,i have a terrible hangover after 3 nightshifts, and when i am that tired my taste of film alaike are quite squeemish,and i may flick through 20 films and not like anything, so i was amazed that this film should sweeten my taste buds....it didnt bore me at all. though i had great difficulties with the neolittic dialect of english used in this film,i had a good time. some graphic issues at times, but just baby food compared to some low budget chutney /cockney-gangster movies made since 2005. nice filmography at times,allright editing, and brave choice of musical score. worth a watch if you can allow the absence of fine arts.

Not a great film by any stretch, but it was entertaining enough to keep my attention. Some of the characters were one-dimensional but the anti-hero, his mother and his girlfriend were sympathetic depictions of people trapped by history and circumstances. The scenes between Jay and Angela, when she confronted him over his dealing and when he later confessed to a crime, were particularly good. It would have been more involving if we had seen some character development rather than a brief glimpse of some children who then suddenly become adults with ideas to break into the big time, either through music or drug dealing. There were some big liberties taken with background: the drug use and death of a father, the CD of dance music a character has, the decision of a young man to join the family business with no obvious talent. We have to believe three people can turn up at an airport in Ireland and fly to Spain with no tickets or preparation, and a destructive sexual relationship does not ring true. We got that the estate was rough and did not need children doing wheelies in the street continually to remind us. The biggest issue for me though, watching at home, was the appalling sound quality. Dialogue, in a thick Irish accent, was often too quiet but would be replaced suddenly with very loud and intrusive music. Subtitles only added to the mess: "a sensitive man" was rendered as "a sensible plan", and it was way off in several other places. Overall, worth five stars for keeping me interested enough to see it through. I won't spoil the ending, but it was never going to be a happy one.

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.

Unfortunately a too true story line of this generation. Great acting, drama and intrigue. A credit to all who worked on the film. Definitely worth the awards it won.

Loved the movie. Great actors. Especially Jay is very believeable. It seems so stupid that Jay chooses to drive back and save Kim. He just killed her son. What did he expect?

I don't get these people saying the "acting is terrible" "awful film" and "it's not a gangster film". The acting is SUPERB. It is gripping, powerful, believable and emotional. It is about 4 life long friends upping their drug game with massive repercussions. It could be a documentary! It's not strewn with over the top special effects or gory violence but that's what makes it so gripping.... It's so real! Please give it a go!