THE MOVIE

Thaddeus O’Sullivan’s Ordinary Decent Criminal is another entry in the smart crime genre. Ever since Reservoir Dogs and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels there has been a landslide of similarly themed gangster films, all with smart dialogue, pop culture references, violence and plots with more twists than a licorice store. I must admit that I am a fan of the genre but with so many people having a go it is starting to get tired and boring.

Ordinary Decent Criminal tells the story of Michael Lynch an ordinary man who happens to be a criminal. He lives a modest life, despite the winfalls he receives from his jobs, he does however have two wives and a sarcastic sense of humor. He is also a cult hero amongst the community for the insubordination he shows towards the police. The film follows Michael and his gang as they orchestrate several heists including a large art theft. To give away any more of the plot would spoil the movie for those who want to see it.

This film is average, plain and simple. The plot is average at best and very familiar. The climax is not a surprise and there isn’t any conflict to get the audience worked up about. In fact I think that the script tries to be too clever for its own good and just ends up confused.

Kevin Spacey is the film’s saving grace and he (along with most of the cast) delivers a solid performance. Still acting alone can’t save a film.

Ordinary Decent Criminal is worth checking out once just for something light and breezy to pass an afternoon.

THE TRANSFER

Video:

The film is presented in pan and scan on this DVD, which is a shame. The film has an interesting ‘urban’ look to it and it would have been nice to see it as it was intended. Overall this is an average transfer. The image is clear and defined and the blacks and blues look good. Some of the backgrounds lose a little definition but it is nothing to get upset over. This transfer fits the bill for the film (and the fact that it is a rental) perfectly and in that respect it is very good. However, I wish it was in its proper ratio.

Audio:

The packet says the disc contains a DD5.1 surround track but it doesn’t. What is on the disc instead is an average DD2.0 track. This film is mainly dialogue driven and this transfer does the job in that respect. It deals with the explosions and gun shots rather well but it overall it isn’t that great. Would have been nice to have the 5.1 track on the disc just for a better DVD experience.

THE EXTRAS

The only extra on the DVD is the trailer, which isn’t very interesting.

SUMMARY

This is a pretty poor DVD presentation, lucky it is only a rental version. Unless you are an audio/dvdphile or have an intense love of the film just borrow the video and save yourself a couple of dollars.