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New Century of Cinema
DOWSE Guide to the
Movies
by Tony Lee editor of
Pigasus
Press
Ordinary Decent Criminal
90 minutes (15) Icon
Director: Thaddeus O'Sullivan
review by Jeff Young
Oscar winner Kevin Spacey plays a wily Irish bank robber in this engaging but
ultimately lacklustre, lotto funded crime thriller. There are moments, albeit very
brief ones, when Spacey's den of thieves reminded me of The Italian Job (at
one point they boldly steal gold bullion from a jewellery factory) yet, with doggedly
persistent policemen on their trail, and priceless Caravaggio art pinched from
gallery walls by Spacey's daring gang, there's also shades the Hollywood caper movie.
This is the problem with Ordinary Decent Criminal; it's simply incoherent as
comedy or drama.
Spacey lacks charisma in the role (I got the distinct impression he was acting
on autopilot), in spite of his character's shameless tabloid news making exploits.
And the direction - by unknown Thaddeus O'Sullivan - is far too conservative for
decadent and amoral material such as this. Decadent? Spacey's charming rogue has a
fantasy love life with Linda Fiorentino, as wife and mother of his children, yet goes
home to his sister-in-law (sitcom actress Helen Baxendale). Amoral? Spacey thinks
nothing of vexing an IRA heavy - apparently, still actively 'fundraising' for the
cause. But don't expect to see any three-in-a-bed sex, or shocking terrorist action
(though there is one nonfatal car bomb). Spacey is watchable enough, right up to the
wholly predictable ending, and I'm sure you will find Ordinary Decent Criminal
an amiable timewaster. But I fear this is for his most diehard fans only. I really
did want to like this but, sadly, it's just disappointing on every level.
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