Customer Reviews

Ordinary Decent Criminal [VHS]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

. . .more than a review. This is a good movie. To me, Kevin Spacey opens a film. His performances make even a mediocre film worth watching (and owning on DVD). The story is good, and not everything can be another "Se7en" or "American Beauty." Nevertheless, if you are a Spacey fan, check it out.

But my real reason for posting a review was to give the head's up to any Colin Farrell fans out there . . . he's been getting a following lately, and the DVD tries to jump on that by putting him on its cover. If that entices you to pick it up as you are fresh from seeing his stellar performance in "The Recruit" or want more of his hometown accent that was offered as Bullseye, you will be sorely displeased. Mr. Farrell has no more than 5 lines in the film.

Ordinary Decent Criminal was loosley adapted from John Boormans critically acclaimed, The General which told the story of real-life Irish criminal Martin Cahill. In a perfect piece of casting, Kevin Spacey plays Cahill (though is renamed Michael Lynch in the movie), a cocky but likeable Dublin gangster who spent his days robbing the rich, annoying the police and falling foul of the IRA. Spacey puts in a power-packed, beleavable performance though he plays the role as a loveable rogue in contrast to the real Martin Cahill. His Irish accent is a little dodgy at times but makes up for it with his performance. The film is well structured featuring moments of comedy, undertones of gritty realism and plenty of impressive action scenes that makes this well worth a look. Given Spacy amicable support is British T.V actress Helen Baxendale as Lisa in a small but effective role. Recommended.

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.

Robbers and Cops, September 5, 2005Reviewer: Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

ORDINARY DECENT CRIMINAL has to be one of the more tongue-in-cheek titles Hollywood has devised for a story apparently based on a real life infamous Irish gangster Martin Cahill whose claim to fame was robbing banks and getting away with it while posing as a preceptor of family values! Yet in this reincarnation the plot is suffused with comedy and typical capers and served up by a fine cast on a shaky platform.

Michael Lynch (Kevin Spacey, always terrific to watch even in uneven films) is a 'gentleman robber', married to two sisters (Linda Fiorentino and Helen Baxendale) whose latest criminal diversion involves the theft of a Caravaggio painting. How he utilizes his cohorts and evades the police headed by Noel Quigley (the extraordinarily gifted actor Stephen Dillane who played Stephen Woolf in 'The Hours'). The cast is good and makes the best of a confusing arc of storyline written by Gerard Stembridge. Director Thaddeus O'Sullivan keeps things moving along but slides into some boring and non-additive variances from the plot and character development that threaten to grind down the film. Tack on a corny ending not in keeping with the real character on whose life the story is based and the recipe for lack of success in the theaters is obvious.

But keep the expectations low and this film will entertain. Sad that for its distribution in the USA the cover of the DVD lists Colin Farrell as one of the stars (Spacey, Fiorentino, Farrell) which says a lot about PR grossness: Farrell is a VERY minor extra here and should any other actor be listed in top billing it is Stephen Dillane! Not a great heist film but it's always good to see more of Spacey. Grady Harp, September 05

Ordinary Decent Criminal brings to the screen the story of an Irish gangster (robber/thief) whose schemes provoke the wrath of both the IRA and the police.

The movie is action packed and very witty, while the acting is excellent.

Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell, and the rest of the cast have truly outdone themselves with their performances, which are outstanding to say the least! All the actors, without exceptions, give it their 100% and it really shows!

The plot, the setting, the dialogues, and the music are all wonderful!

The rating could have been PG-13, as there's no serious reason really for an R rating.

In short, it's a movie definitely worth watching, as it will provide for an evening's entertainment, though you might want to stop short of buying it.

Strongly recommended for those with a soft spot for Ireland and all things Irish!

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!

While it's not the best 'cheer for the criminal' movie I've ever seen it is still fun. My only complaint is that Colin Ferrell's part is so small. It's entertaining, although it is a bit dark at times. I would recomend it for anyone who is a fan of Boondock Saints or Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, as it's very much in the same vein as these films. Kevin Spacey and Linda Florintino are great as usual. it's tons of fun to watch Spacey's character run the poice around in circles. So if you're in the mood for a smart criminal drama I think Ordinary Decent Criminal is a great pic at least for a rental.

Clever Michale Lynch, and his band of faithful crooks, play cat and mouse with the Dublin "Garda", cops to you Americans, until they steal a pricey Masterpiece from a Dublin museum. Then all hell breaks loose. Ordinary Decent Criminal is loosly [very] based on the real life criminal, "The General".

I rented this from Netflix and watched it last night at home. What a very pleasant surprise! I am a huge Kevin Spacey fan so I love all his films. I had never heard of this movie and wished it had been released in the US back in 2000 when it came out overseas. Breathtaking photography of beautiful Dublin and the Irish countryside. Ireland is very photogenic! The camera loves her! Colin has a walk-on and speaks maybe two words in the entire movie. The promo is misleading. He does not have a big part in this film. It is all about Kevin Spacey who is totally believable as an Irishman. The story is such a romp! It involves crime, love, kids, the Catholic Church, robberies, coppers, bad guys, good guys, the IRA, funny chases in Dublin and all around the outskirts. Motorbikes, art theft, you name it. This movie has it all. I can't believe this is a true story! I judge a film by how many times I walk away from the screen to do odds and ends like go to the kitchen to get something to eat/drink. I did not move from my seat during the entire film. That means it is an automatic 5. If you love Kevin Spacey, love Irish films, love the Irish countryside, and love a really entertaining film, you will love this one. I certainly did.

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.