Ordinary Decent Criminal (2000)

To the disappointment of Kevin Spacey fans, Miramax never released Ordinary Decent Criminal in the U.S. That has more to do with backstage negotiations than with the quality of this amusing Irish crime caper, which was overshadowed by John Boorman's similar and superior film The General. Both were inspired by the exploits of infamous Irish gangster Martin Cahill, fictionalized here as Michael Lynch (Spacey, with a passable brogue), an elusive bank robber who prides himself on family values and clever escapes. His latest brazen scheme involves the theft of a priceless Caravaggio painting, but director Thaddeus O'Sullivan (who made the underrated Nothing Personal) is more interested in quirky character study than criminal behavior, giving the film its jaunty, uneven mix of humor, drama, and violence. The casting of Spacey and Linda Fiorentino (as Lynch's supportive wife) is an awkward concession to international box office, but the movie's Irish flavor--including a pre-stardom role for Colin Farrell--is enough to keep its cagey spirits high. --Jeff Shannon Amazon.com

I am giving it to Salvation Army thrift store

Eek.
Slightly disgusting to begin with (two adoring wives to one husband and they don't even compete?) and really disgusting at the end (Spacey's character suddenly becomes really violent, including shooting people in the back.)
Neither comedy nor drama, this movie is somewhere in between never really fully anchoring in any particular genre. Perhaps the movie was supposed to be ironic but at the end our reaction was: Huh? What's the point?

September 7, 2008

Waste of time for non-Spacey fans.

I rented this movie solely because I'm a huge fan of Kevin Spacey, and as such, I was pleased by some of the film. But its unnecessary length, its poor plotline that never seemed to get anywhere, and the strange atmosphere of the film (which ranged from tragic to light-hearted, cancelling out any real message) were simply too overpowering to make this a good movie. Plus, the ratio of time on a motorcycle to time developing a plot was probably 8:1. I know it's a true story, but some true stories just aren't worth telling, and this might be one of them. July 28, 2007

Firmly Tongue-In-Cheek

Thaddeus O'Sullivan who directed the Irish troubles movie "Nothing Personal," "December Bride" & has "Shadow Chaser" with Samuel L. Jackson coming out next year guides "Ordinary Decent Criminal" with a light hand. While the most memorable scene may be Kevin Spacey mooning the police, it would also be correct to say that O'Sullivan keeps the tone firmly "tongue in cheek." This gangster film is a light romp filled with more witty banter than gunfire. Spacey does an excellent job as the criminal iconoclast Michael Lynch who probably is smart enough to hold a regular job, but is just too original to put up with it. He is married to Christine played by Linda Fiorentino. She doesn't have a lot to do in the film, but she does love art and draws Lynch into the love of a particular Caravaggio. Helen Boxendale who was on a number of "Friends" episodes plays sister "Lisa" who also is kind of "married" to Lynch. They have their separate households and the sisters get along perfectly well sharing their man. The gag culminates when the police think they've killed Lynch whose face has been blown off by bullets. As they un-drape the corpse and reveal his private parts, knowing glances between the sisters let them know that it's not Lynch. Peter Mullan who won a Best Actor award at Cannes for "My Name Is Joe" plays Stevie. Stephen Dillane plays the Detective Sergeant Quigley who seems to routinely get stumped by Lynch. Dillane became a favorite actor of mine in a romantic film called "Firelight." Last but not least is the role of Alex played by Colin Farrell. In what was his 2nd film before "Tigerland" broke him as a Hollywood commodity, he does a decent job with few lines of trying to rip off the painting. His Irish pronunciation of "shoite" slips off the tongue with ease. I enjoyed this film's face pace and wild spree. It's a delightful evening's entertainment! Enjoy! September 15, 2006

Enjoyable Kevin Spacey Vehicle

Ordinary Decent Criminal (shot in the U.K., Germany and Ireland) was a fairly loose and thinly veiled adaptation of the John Boormans critically acclaimed book, The General.

The General, told the story of real-life Irish criminal, Martin Cahill, who spent most of his days robbing the rich (with his philosphy being "they can afford it so why shouldn't I), laughably antagonising the police and on several occasions, falling foul of the IRA.

In a perfect piece of casting, Kevin Spacy takes on the role of the initial Cahill characterization and is re-named Michael Lynch in the film.

Kevin Spacy puts in a solid, power-packed, beleavable performance. He approaches his role in a number of ways and is vastly effective as the cocky but equally likeable Dublin gangster, playing it as though a loveable rogue in contrast to the real Cahill. His Irish accent is a little dodgy at times but apart from that minor flaw, Spacy excels in the role.

Directed by Thaddeus O' Sullivan with the screenplay having been written by Gerald Sternbridge, Ordinary Decent Criminal was considerably well-structured despite the lack of true detail to which the main character was based. The film follows Michael Lynch's many crime sprees (do not want to give too much away there) and makes for highly entertaining viewing. If anything the film seemed more inspired by The General, rather than structuring it around the ethos of Boormans book. Still the film vastly works despite that initial shortcoming.

Linda Florentino takes the role of Michael Lynch's wife, Christine. His loyal almost fierce devotion to his family is made crystal clear from the early sequences in the film.

British T.V star, Helen Baxendale (a one-time star on the fantastic U.S sitcom Friends and and one of the principal leads in the smash-hit U.K comedy-drama series, Colf Feet) turns up as as Lisa (who surprisingly delivers a beleavable Irish accent) and bubbles in the background as Lisa. where as Peter Mullan as Steve and Stephen Dillane as Noel Quigley get their chance to shine, biting into their parts with a vengeance and making the most of every scene they're in.

Ordinary Decent Criminal (1999) hosts many moments of generally amusing comedy (such as when Spacy hilariously falshes his naked rear end to some irritatingly condesending policemen) whilst there are a host of impressive action scenes, particulary the exciting climax of the film.

Kevin Spacy and the rest of the cast liven this film up no end and Thaddeus O' Sullivans direction is tight and sharp, matching the fast, overly witty and earthy dialogue.

May 15, 2006

Ordinary Decent Criminal

It's a good movie if you are a Kevin Spacey fan. It is interesting that this movie is based on a Michael Lynch who existed and did what he did. March 16, 2006

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