Main Cast: Kevin Spacey, Linda Fiorentino, Peter Mullan, Stephen Dillane, Helen Baxendale, David Hayman
Release Year: 1999
Country: IE/DE/UK
Run Time: 90 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
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, All Movie Guide
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, All Music Guide
Yma Sumac (Performer), Bryan Ferry (Performer), Damon Albarn (Producer), Damon Albarn (Score), Stephen Street (Producer), Neil Davidge (Programming), Neil Davidge (Engineer), Robert "3D" del Naja (Producer), Bis (Performer), Andy VanDette (Mastering), Tom Girling (Programming), Tom Girling (Engineer), Kevin Spacey (Dialogue), Robert Wieger (Product Manager), Holly Wormworth (Executive Producer), Jason Cox (Engineer), Jason Cox (Assistant), Darren Higman (Executive Producer), Lee Shepherd (Assistant), Lowfinger (Performer), Bruce Davey (Executive Producer), Gary Carpenter (Arranger)
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 police 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.
