Editing Ordinary Decent Criminal

{{for|the slang expression|Ordinary Decent Criminal (slang)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Ordinary Decent Criminal
| image          = Ordinary Decent Criminal_DVD.JPG
| caption        = DVD case cover for ''Ordinary Decent Criminal''
| alt            = 
| director       = [[Thaddeus O'Sullivan]]
| producer       = [[Jonathan Cavendish]]
| writer         = [[Gerard Stembridge]]
| screenplay     = 
| narrator       = 
| story          = 
| based_on       = 
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Kevin Spacey]]
* [[Linda Fiorentino]]
* [[Peter Mullan]]
* [[Stephen Dillane]]
* [[Helen Baxendale]]
* [[David Hayman]]
* [[Patrick Malahide]]
* [[Colin Farrell]]
* [[Christoph Waltz]]
* [[Vincent Regan]]
* Donny Hak
}}
| music          = [[Damon Albarn]]
| cinematography = [[Andrew Dunn (cinematographer)|Andrew Dunn]]
| editing        = [[William M. Anderson]]
| studio         = River Road Entertainment <br />Tat Film <br />Little Bird <br />[[Trigger Street Productions]]
| distributor    = [[Icon Productions|Icon Film Distribution]] (Ireland/United Kingdom)<br>[[Buena Vista Home Entertainment]]{{efn|Under '''[[Miramax|Miramax Home Entertainment]]''' label}} (United States)<br>[[Icon Productions|Icon Entertainment International]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://variety.com/1998/film/news/icon-catches-criminal-1117469333/ | title=Icon catches 'Criminal' | date=April 1998 }}</ref> (International)
| released       = {{Film date|2000|01|07|Ireland|2000|03|17|U.K.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Screen International]]|date=24 March 2000|page=26|title=International box office: UK/Ireland}}</ref>|2003|01|21|U.S.|df=y}}
| runtime        = 93 minutes
| country        = {{plainlist|
*Ireland 
*Germany 
*United Kingdom 
*United States <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b816949c0|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170310105019/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b816949c0|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 March 2017|title = Ordinary Decent Criminal (2000)}}</ref>}} 
| language       = English
| budget         = $10 million<ref name="stars-out" /><ref name="caper" />
| gross          = 
}}

'''''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.<ref name=irish>{{cite web|title=Ordinary Decent Criminal|url=http://www.irishfilm.net/blurbs/ODC.html|publisher=The Irish in Film|access-date=24 October 2012}}</ref>

Filmed in late 1998 and originally scheduled for a fall 1999 release. Icon shipped out the movie overseas the following year, while [[Miramax|Miramax Films]] acquired North American distribution rights,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Roman |first=Monica |date=1998-09-23 |title=Miramax nabs 'Criminal' |url=https://variety.com/1998/film/news/miramax-nabs-criminal-1117480686/ |access-date=2024-02-22 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> but it never got a proper theatrical release, and was released straight to video in January 2003, almost five years after filming began.

== 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 [[Garda Síochána|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 [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|IRA]].

Lynch finds himself in trouble when he is unable to sell a stolen [[Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio|Caravaggio]] painting, ''[[The Taking of Christ (Caravaggio)|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 ==
* [[Kevin Spacey]] as Michael Lynch
* [[Linda Fiorentino]] as Christine Lynch
* [[Peter Mullan]] as Stevie
* [[Stephen Dillane]] as Noel Quigley
* [[Helen Baxendale]] as Lisa Lynch
* [[David Hayman]] as Tony Brady
* [[Patrick Malahide]] as Commissioner Daly
* [[Gerard McSorley]] as Harrison
* [[David Kelly (actor)|David Kelly]] as Father Grogan
* [[Gary Lydon]] as Tom Rooney
* [[Paul Ronan]] as Billy Lynch
* [[Colin Farrell]] as Alec
* [[Vincent Regan]] as Shay Kirby
* [[Tim Loane]] as Jerome Higgins
* [[Christoph Waltz]] as Peter
* [[Enda Oates]] as Brian
* [[Anthony Brophy]] as Liam
* David Brady as Declan Brady
* Mike Diamente as James Mason
* Jeffrey Connon as Paul O'Keeffe
* [[Bill Murphy (Irish actor)|Bill Murphy]] as Detective Barry

== Production ==
{{Anchor|Development}}
Thaddeus O'Sullivan began trying to adapt the book ''The General'' by [[Paul Williams (Irish journalist)|Paul Williams]], but abandoned a direct adaption. Having previously worked on [[Nothing Personal (TV series)|Nothing Personal]] about loyalist paramilitaries, and a [[biopic]] about John Gotti for NBC, O'Sullivan did not want to again work under the factual and legal constraints of a film based on real people, and was more interested in making a comedy or caper, and instead they developed their own story only loosely based on Martin Cahill. The original project went back on the market and John Boorman came on board as director. O'Sullivan was worried that investors might think the two projects were too similar, but after Boorman's ''[[The General (1998 film)|The General]]'' screened at Cannes people saw the films were very different and were willing to invest.<ref name="caper">{{cite web |date= 9 January 2000|title= A caper through Dublin's underworld |url= https://www.independent.ie/woman/celeb-news/a-caper-through-dublins-underworld-26252880.html |website= [[Irish Independent]] |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200223122712/https://www.independent.ie/woman/celeb-news/a-caper-through-dublins-underworld-26252880.html |archive-date= 2020-02-23 |quote= Our film cost $10m and there's no way we could get that back without a name in it. }}</ref>

{{Anchor|Casting}}
O'Sullivan would have cast more Irish actors except for Boorman's film, and said "If his part had not been so prominent in The General, I would have had [[Seán McGinley]] in my film. I'd have him in every film."<ref name="caper" /> 
He felt it was necessary to cast recognizable named stars to stand the best chance of recouping the film's $10 million budget,<ref name="caper" /> and was ultimately pleased with what he described as a "dream cast".<ref name="stars-out">{{cite web |date= 17 December 1999 |author= Martina Devlin |title= Stars turn out for a 'decent' gangster's tale |url= https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/stars-turn-out-for-a-decent-gangsters-tale-26129353.html |website= [[Irish Independent]]  }}</ref>

Having seen Colin Farrell in a play at London's Donmar Warehouse Theatre, Spacey invited him to appear in one of his films, and convinced director O'Sullivan to cast him.<ref>{{cite web |date= 5 November 2017 |author1= Donal Lynch |title= A-list star gave encouragement to young actors during his Irish visits |url= https://www.independent.ie/opinion/comment/a-list-star-gave-encouragement-to-young-actors-during-his-irish-visits-36290619.html |website= [[Irish Independent]] |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200223123038/https://www.independent.ie/opinion/comment/a-list-star-gave-encouragement-to-young-actors-during-his-irish-visits-36290619.html |archive-date= 2020-02-23 | quote= Kevin Spacey's mangled gangster brogue from Ordinary Decent Criminal may go down as one of the worst Irish accents in celluloid history }}</ref>

== Reception ==
<!-- === Critical response === -->
{{Anchor|Critics}} 
The film received negative reviews from critics. On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film has an approval rating of 14% based on reviews from 7 critics.<ref name="rt">{{rotten-tomatoes|ordinary_decent_criminal}}.{{Retrieved|accessdate=31 October 2009}}</ref>

[[Christopher Null]] writing for Filmcritic.com gave it 1.5 out of 5 wrote: "I can only imagine one thing worse than Kevin Spacey trying on an Irish accent, and that's sultry Linda Fiorentino doing the same thing." Though critical of the accents, he says the biggest problem is the dull and less than ordinary script.<ref>{{cite news  |date=22 January 2003|author= Christopher Null |author-link= Christopher Null |title= Ordinary Decent Criminal Review |newspaper= Contactmusic.com |url= http://www.contactmusic.net/film/review/ordinarydecentcriminal |publisher= FilmCritic.com <!-- defunct website --> |via= ContactMusic.net <!-- found copy --> }}</ref>

[[Derek Elley]] of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' called it "an ordinary, decent movie. Neither an embarrassment nor a triumph, tedious nor gripping". Elley praised the cast but compared it unfavorable with John Boorman's 1998 film ''[[The General (1998 film)|The General]]''.<ref>{{cite web |date=24 March 2000 |last1= Elley |first1= Derek |author-link= Derek Elley |title= Ordinary Decent Criminal |url= https://variety.com/2000/film/reviews/ordinary-decent-criminal-1200460981/ |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] }}</ref>

== Music ==
{{Anchor|Score}}

=== 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 ==
{{Anchor|DVD}} 
''Ordinary Decent Criminal'' was released on DVD in the United States on 31 January 2003.<ref>{{cite web |author=Ordinary Decent Criminal |url= https://www.amazon.com/Ordinary-Decent-Criminal-Kevin-Spacey/dp/B000077VRZ |title= Ordinary Decent Criminal |website= Amazon |date= 21 January 2003 |access-date= 24 October 2012 }}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{notelist}}

== External links ==
*{{IMDb title|0160611}}

{{Thaddeus O'Sullivan}}

[[Category:2000 films]]
[[Category:Irish crime comedy films]]
[[Category:Irish heist films]]
[[Category:2000s heist films]]
[[Category:2000 crime comedy films]]
[[Category:2000s Irish films]]
[[Category:Films set in Dublin (city)]]
[[Category:Films shot in Dublin (city)]]
[[Category:Films about organised crime in Ireland]]
[[Category:Icon Productions films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Thaddeus O'Sullivan]]
[[Category:2000s English-language films]]
[[Category:English-language crime comedy films]]