ORDINARY DECENT CRIMINAL A film review by Steve Rhodes Copyright 2003 Steve Rhodes RATING (0 TO ****): **
With Kevin Spacey (AMERICAN BEAUTY), Linda Fiorentino (MEN IN BLACK), Stephen Dillane (THE HOURS) and Colin Farrell (DAREDEVIL), ORDINARY DECENT CRIMINAL couldn't go wrong, right? Wrong.
Once again America shows up the world. In most of the rest of the planet, this very slight comedy got a theatrical release. Not in the United States. Here we were smart enough to send it direct to video. (Don't get too smug America. You just spent fourteen million dollars on theater tickets for JUNGLE BOOK 2's opening weekend, a movie that had no business playing in your local multiplex.)
Spacey, one of our greatest dramatic actors, gives a passable performance as Michael Lynch, a comical supercrook who specializes in making the cops look stupid as he pulls off more and more audacious crimes. One of his typical shenanigans has him carrying a gas can in his trunk so that, when he and the cops following him run out of gas, he can refill his tank and continue on, leaving them stuck in the middle of nowhere. Most of his tricks are found the basic rule book for crime capers. He finds a painting to steal, so he swaps it with a copy at just the right time in order to confuse the detectives.
Michael lives and has a joint family with two beautiful sisters, Christine (Linda Fiorentino) and Lisa (Helen Baxendale). He is or has been married to one or both of them. I could never quite figure out their legal status, not that it matters.
The best thing that can be said of the picture is that it does have a few cute moments.
ORDINARY DECENT CRIMINAL runs 1:33. It is rated R for "language, some violence and sexuality" and would be acceptable for teenagers.
My son Jeffrey, almost 14, gave it ***, finding it fresh and funny.
The movie is available now on DVD and videotape.
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