Ordinary Decent Criminal
6 /10 1 Votes
Duration Language English | Director Thaddeus OSullivan Country Ireland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Release date 7 January 2000 (2000-01-07) (Ireland)21 January 2003 (2003-01-21) (U.S.) |
Ordinary decent criminal
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.
Contents
- Ordinary decent criminal
- Ordinary decent criminal trailer
- Plot
- Cast
- Reception
- Soundtrack
- Home media
- References

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.
Ordinary decent criminal trailer
Plot
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.
Cast
Reception
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.
Soundtrack
- "One Day At a Time" – Damon Albarn and Robert Del Naja
- "Kevin on a Motorbike" – Damon Albarn
- "Superfinger" – Lowfinger
- "Mother of Pearl" – Bryan Ferry
- "I Want You" – Shack
- "Gopher Mambo" – Yma Sumac
- "Chase After Gallery" – Damon Albarn
- "Eurodisco" – Bis
- "Bank Job" – Damon Albarn
- "Dying Isn't Easy" – Damon Albarn
Home media
Ordinary Decent Criminal was released on DVD on 31 January 2003.