Ordinary Decent Criminal | |
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DVD case cover for Ordinary Decent Criminal
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Directed by | Thaddeus O'Sullivan |
Produced by | Jonathan Cavendish |
Written by | Gerard Stembridge |
Starring |
Kevin Spacey Linda Fiorentino Peter Mullan Stephen Dillane Helen Baxendale David Hayman Patrick Malahide Colin Farrell Christoph Waltz Vincent Regan Donny Hak |
Music by | Damon Albarn |
Cinematography | Andrew Dunn |
Edited by | William M. Anderson |
Release date
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Running time
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93 minutes |
Country | Ireland |
Language | English |
Ordinary Decent Criminal is a 2000 crime comedy film, directed by Thaddeus O'Sullivan, written by Gerard Stembridge, and stars Kevin Spacey and Linda Fiorentino. The film is loosely based on the story of Martin Cahill, a famous Irish crime boss.
Filmed in late 1998 and originally scheduled for a fall 1999 release, the movie was put out overseas first the following year but it never got a proper theatrical release in the United States, where it was released straight to video in January 2003, almost five years after filming began.
Michael Lynch is one of Dublin's most notorious criminals. He has two wives, sisters Christine and Lisa, as well as many children. When he is not spending time with his family, he is plotting heists with his gang. His actions make him an iconic figure, and he has a rapport with the general public despite being a criminal.
During his elaborate heists, he concentrates on the showmanship as much as the crime itself. He pulls off a daring art theft, stealing several priceless paintings from Dublin's best art gallery, giving the authorities the slip. The Gardaí become more determined to catch him as time goes on, in particular Noel Quigley, an officer whose ambition to catch Lynch becomes an obsession. His actions also gain the ire of the IRA.
Lynch finds himself in trouble when he is unable to sell a stolen Caravaggio painting, The Taking of Christ giving Quigley the opportunity he was waiting for to try and catch him. Lynch is forced to go on the run, with his popularity with the public at stake.
The film received negative reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes rates the film 13% based on eight reviews. The rating of the film on IMDb is 6.4/10 from 9,880 users.