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
