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
Michael Lynch reigns as Dublin's most infamous criminal, his audacious heists both vexing the Gardaí and endearing him to the working-class Northsiders. Juggling two wives, sisters Christine and Lisa, along with their children, Lynch finds his thrill in planning elaborate robberies, relishing the spectacle as much as the spoils. Garda Noel Quigley becomes consumed by his pursuit of Lynch, his determination morphing into an obsession. Inevitably, a showdown looms.
Tropes:
- Defiant Strip: When the police try to arrest Lynch outside the courthouse, he strips off and moons the police and the press to embarrass the police into letting him to go.
- Evil vs. Evil: Michael Lynch regards himself as an "ordinary decent criminal" who commits crimes for the money and wants nothing to do with politics. This puts him at odds with Jerome Higgins and the IRA. Higgins decides to out Lynch out of business, which leads to the Gambit Pile Up at the climax of the film.
- External Combustion: A judge is intimidated by planting a bomb in his daughter's car, triggered by the remote unlocker. The fact that it blew up right in front of the judge, and only injured his son-in-law instead of killing his daughter or himself, makes it a Gambit Roulette as far as intimidation tactics go.
- Faking the Dead: Lynch seeming commits Suicide by Cop during the bank robbery. However, he actually sends IRA agent Jerome out posing as him, and then fires the triggering shot from inside the bank. The plan is a Gambit Roulette on his part as it relies on the body being shot up enough to be unrecognizable,and on his wives deliberately misidentifying the body.
- Fingore: When trying to find out what happened to the gold, Lynch's boys slam Tommy's fingers in a car door.
- Gambit Pile Up: The climax involves the colliding plots of Michael Lynch and his gang, the IRA, and the Gardai to retrieve the stolen Caravaggio painting and rob the bank (or prevent the bank robbery in the case of the Gardai) plus the IRA's plot to have Lynch arrested by the Gardai, and Lynch's plan to avoid and have IRA boss Higgins caught instead.
- Identity Impersonator: Lynch loses his police tail by arriving at the dole office, going inside, and then having the similarly built Tony don his distinctive motorbike jacket, helmet and leather face mask. Tony then leaves,hops on to Lynch's motorbike and rides off, causing the police tail to follow him.
- Job Title
- Suicide by Cop: Lynch seemingly does this when he exits the bank with his gun held above his head and fires a shot in the air despite being surrounded by armed Gardai, who cut him down in an hail of bullets However, Lynch is actually Faking the Dead; having sent IRA agent Jerome in his place, and having fired the triggering shot from inside the bank.
- Sympathetic Inspector Antagonist: Detective Segeant Noel Quigley, whose determination to convict Villain Protagonist Michael Lynch is slowly turning into an obsession.
- Tae Kwon Door: When trying to find out what happened to the gold, Lynch's boys slam Tommy's fingers in a car door.
- Title Drop: While arguing with Higgins, Lynch describes himself as an "ordinary decent criminal"; i.e. one is one who is in it only for the money and is not interested in politics, like Higgins and the IRA.
- Unwilling Suspension: Lynch and his thugs torture Tommy by slamming his fingers in a car door and then hoisting the car above the floor of the warehouse; leaving Tommy dangling by the fingers trapped in the door.
- Villain Protagonist: Michael Lynch is Dublin's most notorious criminal, his brazen robberies making him the bane of the Gardaí and a hero to his fellow working class city Northsiders.
