Bantam I was not quite sure what to expect of the movie, but I was positively surprised.The technical side of things looks like this: art, style and overall theme are nicely done, the director did a fine job here. Considering he did (prior to Carne de Neon) only some minor work. So it's rather astonishing what he pulled off. Editing, lighting and sound are en par with each other and support the entire setting rather well.However, what really gives the movie its unique charm are the characters. Especially Infantita is such a vibrant and lovable character- he is a transvestite who thinks he's the illegitimate son of Juan-Carlos of Spain. At the same time he struggles to become the woman he always wanted to be. Similar to this all characters are lovable, somewhat skewed, yet still very much human with normal emotions. IMO none of the characters is really unlikable, they have so much "normality" in them, it's almost uncanny. And from this, and their interactions, this movie draws its strength. The story is (in parts) slightly crazy, bordering on the absurd. When your Mom gets out of prison, what do you do? Mind you, she was in prison for prostitution. Of course, you open up a brothel for her! What else, right? Joining this main arc we have some sub-plots that tie into the main arc: human trafficking, turf wars, corrupt police, personal problems and maladies, love and friendship. The sub-plots are woven into the main story in an orderly manner, mostly. Here and there is a tiny glitch, or a little bit of a "forced connection", if I may call it that. But apart from slight and tiny misses the story is spot on.In general the movie looks and feels like a bit of Guy Ritchie, sprinkled with some Tarantino and a whole lot of Spanish zest. You can tell it's an Euroflick and that it was not made to please the masses. But this is exactly what really makes this one stand out. Slight deductions in score result from the dialogues. Unfortunately I speak no Spanish, so I watched the dubbed version. Maybe something got lost in translation, who knows. I probably did not get all the cultural references either, so I can only blame myself.If you are looking for some light-hearted entertainment, that still manages to touch a few touch subjects without being goofy or pathetic, you should give this one a go.

Max Sanjulian There are somethings i like about this movie...It is very well filmed. the story its located in Europe but is filmed in south America and I think successfully...I suppose this decision was taken for questions of budget. I really like this part, i think its smart and works very well. On the other side I had the sensation of someone putting together a collection of well produced images but without a basic idea of how to build a narrative. Some kind of Guy Ritchie film without bones...without a script.At the end a sensation of pretentious chaos, weak characters in a labyrinth without solution . I appreciate ambition but only in the consciousness of its creative limitations. Good effort and good technical skills on the way to nowhere.

Ana With outstanding visual effects that are not shy in trying to reveal the influence of Guy Ritchie's filmography, "Carne de Neon" is a brilliant film that, contrary to the tedious Spanish film industry, does not intend to tackle moral lessons within the overused context of the Civil War. Abounding with graphic scenes that are typical of any gangster movie,Paco Cabeza's tour de force consists of an almost impossible skill to combine irreconcilable ingredients, in a story in which each character has his/her own inner contradictions. For example: Ricky keeps a very cold, detached attitude towards the sad situation of the prostitutes, and however, he is capable of anything in order to win back his mom's recognition; Angelito's tough superficial behavior melts down when he is in front of his dog, Rocco, or when he thinks he can kill his long-time partner/prostitute/heroin addict, Canija; El Niño (the Kid)'s physical brutality gives way to a deep tenderness when he falls in love with the African immigrant. Full of dark humor,action, and suspense, the film entertains while it also reflects on the shady universe of Eastern mafias, human traffic, illegal immigration,drugs, prostitution, and corruption. Wonderfully crafted script in which everything seems to obey some kind of poetic justice by which, after so many chaotic events, the ending resolution fits in accordingly. Surprisingly, Cabezas succeeds to make the starring actor, Spanish teenage fans' idol Mario Casas, blend perfectly with the rest of the cast without seeming out of place or eclipsing the others. While the whole cast's work is remarkable, Damaso Conde clearly stole the show as the transvestite Infantita (Pricess), providing such a virulent environment with a balancing comic relief.

Betty Page The first time that I saw that this movie only had a 5.something in IMDb I thought "maybe is not a good idea" but I gave it a chance and... WOW! Its funny (Sometimes dark, violently funny)thrilling, its been long, maybe since "Fargo" that a movie amazed me this much, the mix of genres is outstanding, it starts with comedy, shifts to thriller and finally to a drama. The characters are so funny and fragile (Even though sometimes they do terrible things) but thats one of the things that I liked the most, the movie is challenging, you never know where the director is gonna take you and is always surprising. The actors are great, specially Vicente Romero and Angela Molina, they steal the movie.By the way the ending is one of the best endings I've ever seen, so moving... A great film about bad guys with a huge heart, a must see!