Who doesn’t like gangster movies? From the beginning they were huge, everybody watched them, talked about them and they were a great example of family values for all the viewers. As Marlon Brando said in The Godfather "a man who doesn’t spend time with his family can never be a real man" and this is what 'Inheritance' is all about. We find all the gangster-movie specifics very well highlighted in less than 25 minutes.

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Director Shaun Daly’s short follows the story of Jack, an elderly gangster about to retire right before he makes his last payment to his lifelong boss, Frank. As gangster movies accustomed us, the boss is living in a continuous paranoia and Jack’s chances of escaping unharmed are very slim. But, as we are used to, the main character has a plan that may turn out to be dangerous for him. Alongside his daughter Emily, they plan to seek the opportunity and make up for all the mistakes he did his whole life.

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The story is quite captivating, and the whole mix of silent movie and introspective monologue is a perfect blend that surprised us. Focusing our attention to the monologue – very deep and emotional, transmitting powerful feelings. The whole plan that resulted in the female character listening the tape was something that was only centred on family, and as we’ve said before, in gangster movies, family comes first.

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The score is good and adequate, enhancing the mood of the scenes; also the places picked for the movie are something real gangsters would pick for meetings or exchanges. The acting was good, and so was the cinematography, with some very small flaws that go unnoticed. 

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Even though is set in our times, 'Inheritance' is a good action short that we really enjoy having in our festival. As it is right now, it seems like the ending of a very good and long series that was centred on Jack, and this short is the ending. A good action movie, definitely worth your time!

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Written by Vlad A. G