Ordinary Decent CriminalThis is a Kevin Space film. I think I should repeat that. This IS a Kevin Spacey film. It is reminiscent of The Usual Suspects. Kevin plays Michael Lynch and his character dominates the story line, which moves quickly. You won't be bored. It's fast enough that at one point, I lost track of who was betraying whom.

I once met a jail nurse who told me that people ended in jail because they were stupid. Michael Lynch is definitely not stupid and in this story he is not in jail. In fact he is characterized as brilliant, arrogant and contemptuous of society in general and its patriarchal component in particular. Michael is irreverent, funny, calculating and intensely loyal but deadly when he deems it necessary. But Michael is a professional and his violence is only an incidental aspect of his profession; it's a tool to use when needed. A simile would be the Sopranos in Ireland.

The film is shot in Dublin and I'm guessing that all the actors except Spacey were locals. Spacey does manage to assume a little Irish inflection in his voice, but he is obviously still American. Not that you notice this at all after the first few seconds. You don't have time.

This is supposed to be based on a true story and the crime and polygamy depicted may have been part of that, although it's not the most interesting aspect of this film. Michael's character fascinated me much more because it portrayed a brilliant man and a wasted life. Money was the tender, but winning was the goal. It was all a game; a game played outside the structure of society; taking advantage of the structure; but not contributing to it. Yes, there was one Robin Hood gesture, however it was part of the game and no balance for the rest of the action.

The final scene exemplifies his personality.