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| Special Features: |
Widescreen anamorphic format
Chapter selection
Trailers |
| Video Format: |
Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1)
[SS-DL]
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| Languages: |
English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
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| Subtitles: |
English for the hearing impared.
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| Captions: |
Yes
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| Casing: |
1-Disc Keep Case
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 Based on the true story of Dublin gangster Martin Cahill, "Ordinary Decent Criminal" is an irreverent, funny look at a criminal more interested in humiliating the police that making money. His desire to one-up the Dublin cops netted Mr. Cahill 60 million pounds in real life!
The Cahill character is called Michael Lynch (Kevin Spacey) in this film. "Ordinary Decent Criminal" never received a theatrical release in America. Some say it is because John Boorman's film "The General," also about Cahill and released the year before made success for this film unlikely. That this wonderful film didn't get a theatrical release is a shame. That Miramax is now making it available on DVD is a blessing for all crime movie fans.
The part of Michael Lynch was tailor made for the impish Kevin Spacey. Lynch has two wives who are sisters, and numerous children. He is a meticulous planner with a flair for the dramatic. Lynch leads a gang of armed robbers who revel in daring capers that make the police look like idiots. Some research on the Internet revealed that the crimes portrayed in the movie were very close to those Cahill pulled in real life.
 "Ordinary Decent Criminal" is more of a character study than a caper film. The movie includes several of Lynch's crimes in detail, but the reason to watch this wonderful movie is for the tour de force performance by Kevin Spacey.
The supporting cast includes Linda Fiorentino as one of Lynch's wives, a pre-stardom Colin Farrell as a gang member and Stephan Dillane as the cop out to get lynch. All are fine. Director Thaddeus O'Sullivan's film glosses over some of the brutality shown by the real Cahill. This is a movie, not a history lesson. The film also ends on an up-beat note. The real Cahill was murdered by the IRA in 1994. Enjoy the movie for what it is. Crime buffs will be able to find tons of information about the real-life inspiration for "Ordinary Decent Criminal" on the Internet. An interesting fact I discovered was that director John Boorman was an actual victim of Martin Cahill. Cahill's gang burglarized the director's home. They took the Gold Record he had for the soundtrack to "Deliverance." When the gang discovered it wasn't really made of gold, they broke it!
Very good, fun film. Good picture and sound. No extras. A bit high priced for a vanilla DVD.
Picture Quality: 8/10
 Nice transfer. The film has muted colors. Much of the film takes place during overcast days. The colors are a bit soft around the edges. No pixilation or artifacts noticed.
Sound Quality: 8/10
Nice balance between the ranges. There is an excellent, quirky score by Damon Albarn. The score mixes jazz, blues, techno and some hits of the day. I had to smile when "Been Caught Stealing" by Jane's Addiction came over the speakers.
Menu: 3/10
Very blase design. Hell, the menu is down right ugly! Easy to navigate. No Easter Eggs.
Extra Features: 0/10
No extras. There are five trailers for some great Miramax films.
The Final Word:
Kevin Spacey fans rejoice. "Ordinary Decent Criminal" is a wonderful film with a fun performance by Mr. Spacey. If you don't buy this one, it is definitely worth the price of a rental.
Rusty White
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