Ordinary Decent Criminal

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AMG AllMovie Guide:

Ordinary Decent Criminal

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Plot

Ordinary Decent Criminal is a classic gangster movie in modern-day Ireland. It follows the extraordinary adventures of a Robin Hood character, Michael Lynch, a thief, bigamist, liar, and criminal genius who robs from the rich to give to the poor. Michael is suave, sardonic, and sexy. When his leather-clad figure weaves its way through the Dublin traffic on a powerful motorbike, people stare in awe. He loves his two wives (who happen to be sisters), his wild kids, his gang, and, most of all, his way of life. He has two fundamental beliefs: be loyal to your own and the hell with the establishment. As his ego gets bigger and bigger, he enjoys his notoriety more than the cash it brings. Determined to break him, the police increases its harassment of the whole gang, as Michael makes a mistake that could threaten his good name with the public and his reliability as a bread-winner. But he recovers his equilibrium in time to dream up a final grand scheme to survive the trap set for him. The story is reminiscent of John Boorman's The General about a similar real-life character, Martin Cahill, also a Robin Hood married to two sisters. The impressive cast includes Kevin Spacey, Linda Fiorentino, and Peter Mullan, the tragic hero of My Name is Joe. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, Rovi

Cast

Tim Loane; Patrick Malahide; Gerard McSorley; Colin Farrell - Gang Member

Credit

Ros Hubbard - Casting, John Hubbard - Casting, Martha O'Neill - Co-producer, Jane Robinson - Costume Designer, Deborah Saban - First Assistant Director, Thaddeus O'Sullivan - Director, William Anderson - Editor, Christine Ruppert - Executive Producer, James Mitchell - Executive Producer, Damon Albarn - Composer (Music Score), Tony Burrough - Production Designer, Andrew Dunn - Cinematographer, Jonathan Cavendish - Producer, Kieran Horgan - Sound/Sound Designer, Paul Carr - Sound/Sound Designer, Gerard Stembridge - Screenwriter

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AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Albums:

Ordinary Decent Criminal

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  • Artist: Original Soundtrack
  • Release Date: May 02, 2000
  • Total Time: 40:17
  • Type: Contains explicit content, Soundtrack
  • Genre: Rock

Review

The soundtrack for the British crime caper Ordinary Decent Criminal sports a mix of dance, Brit-pop, and excerpts from Damon Albarn's score. Though not quite as inventive as his work on Ravenous, Albarn's pieces are definitely the album's highlights. Continuing in the vein of Blur's 13 but freed from the context and expectations of his band, he delivers in some quirky atmospherics, ranging from the moody trip-hop of "One Day at a Time," "Chase After Gallery"'s brassy send-up of classic chase scene music, the tense yet cheeky "Bank Job," and "Kevin on a Motorbike." "Dying Isn't Easy" is another of Albarn's epic ballads, coming across as a hybrid of 13's "Tender" and The Great Escape's "The Universal." His work makes up fully half of the soundtrack, which also includes Lowfinger's self-consciously wacky dub-pop pastiche "Superfinger," Bryan Ferry's suave "Mother of Pearl," Shack's appealingly traditional "I Want You," and Bis' annoyingly accurate dance-pop parody, "Eurodisco." While it's a mixed album at best, Ordinary Decent Criminal proves that Albarn's range as a composer is stretching, yet his work here will please most Blur fans. ~ Heather Phares, Rovi

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Wikipedia on Answers.com:

Ordinary Decent Criminal

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Ordinary Decent Criminal

DVD case cover for Ordinary Decent Criminal
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
Music by Damon Albarn
Cinematography Andrew Dunn
Editing by William M. Anderson
Release date(s) 2000
Running time 93 minutes
Country Ireland
Language English

Ordinary Decent Criminal is a 2000 crime/comedy film, directed by Thaddeus O'Sullivan, written by Gerard Stembridge. The film is loosely based on the story of Martin Cahill, a famous Irish crime boss.

Contents

Plot

Michael Lynch is one of Dublin's most notorious criminals. He has two wives, Christine and Lisa (they are also sisters), as well as many children. When he isn't 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, 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.

Cast

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes rates the film 13% based on 8 reviews.[1]


Music

Soundtrack

  1. One Day At A Time - Damon Albarn And Robert Del Naja
  2. Kevin On A Motorbike - Damon Albarn
  3. Superfinger - Lowfinger
  4. Motor Of Pearl - Bryan Ferry
  5. I Want You-Shack
  6. Gopher Mambo - Yma Sumac
  7. Chase After Gallery - Damon Albarn
  8. Eurodisco - Bis
  9. Bank Job - Damon Albarn
  10. Dying Isn't Easy - Damon Albarn

Home media

Ordinary Decent Criminal was released on DVD January 31, 2003.[2]

See also

References

External links


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Mentioned in

Peter Mullan (Actor, Writer, Director, Drama/Comedy Drama)
Gerard McSorley (Actor, Drama)
Linda Fiorentino (Actor, Comedy/Drama)
David Kelly (Actor, Drama/Comedy)
Thaddeus O'Sullivan (Cinematographer, Director, Drama/Crime)