My thoughts and impressions regarding "Citadel" are split in two . On one hand, the screenplay is vastly implausible and full of holes to a point where it even becomes frustrating to watch. On the other hand, though, it's undeniably one of the only movies ever that truly gave me shivers and made me feel genuinely uncomfortable. And, in the end, isn't that what a good horror/thriller does? The shivers are caused by the miserable atmosphere, the bleak settings, the identifiable fear in the eyes of the lead character, and the simple fact that the life of an innocent and defenseless infant is at stake the entire running time. Especially that last element made a big impact on me. If I had seen "Citadel" immediately after its release, in 2012, or even a few years later, it probably would have been just another average horror film. In the meantime, however, I am a father of two myself, and must acknowledge that the worst nightmare imaginable is that you're incapable of protecting your child from whatever type of wrongdoing.

Writer/director Cirián Foy based the plot on a personal and traumatizing experience, as he was menaced by a group of hoodlum kids when he was younger, and the subsequent years in which he developed agoraphobia. He captures the intensity of this condition very accurately. I don't know if he's also a young parent, but he definitely also accurately captures the horrible sentiment of not being able to protect your own child. The ghettos where "Citadel" takes place, as well as the titular building and the supportive characters, are genuinely depressing and petrifying. Aneurin Barnard gives an authentically honest performance, and two or three sequences come so unexpectedly, and are so tense, that I can only refer to this film as a gem... Just not suitable for everybody.

Citadel aimed to be a low budget psychological horror and falls flat. Attack the Block released a year earlier did this much better with an alien invasion.

Tommy (Aneurin Barnard) is single father with a new born baby daughter living in fear in a tower block from some feral beings. They attacked his pregnant wife which Tommy witnessed, the baby was saved but his wife eventually dies.

A potty mouthed priest (James Cosmo) tells Tommy that these feral beings smell the fear in him and they will soon come for his baby daughter. The priest wants to blow up the tower block.

Director Ciaran Foy makes his own commentary on Broken Britain which has a reactionary streak. Blow them all up as Tommy goes for a Death Wish option and channels his inner Charles Bronson.

The film would had worked better if the viewer felt that this might be all in Tommy's head. If we never see the faces of these feral beings so we are not sure if they are kids or creatures.

CITADEL is another grim and gloomy slice of British urban horror shot with that cheap and depressing digital look, all greys and blues and no life anywhere. Despite the predictability of the visuals, the film turns out to be not too bad, and certainly better than the similarly-themed F. Aneurin Barnard plays a young father grieving his wife's death at the hands of a group of feral children who roam his local council estate causing mischief. The story that plays out is dingy and dark, enlivened only by the presence of the reliably great James Cosmo as a foul-mouthed priest who vows to help our lead tackle the kids responsible. It's a pretty predictable little outing, but there's enough incident here to keep you watching.