Oscar winning actor Kevin Spacey arrived in Dublin fresh from his success on the London stage where he played in "The Iceman Cometh", to start principle photography on September 29, on 'Ordinary Decent Criminal', a thriller set on the Dublin Streets.
The Icon Entertainment International film is a little Bird Production in association with Tatfilm and Trigger Street Productions. Directed by Thaddeus O'Sullivan ('December Bride', 'Nothing Personal', 'Witness to the Mob') and produced by Jonathan Cavendish ('Into The West', 'Nothing Personal', 'All For Love'), 'Ordinary Decent Criminal' is based on an original screenplay by Gerard Stembridge (Guiltrip). James Mitchell is the executive producer: Martha O'Neill and Christine Ruppert are co-producers. The film is being made with the participation of the Greenlight Fund, the Irish Film Board and Filmstiftung NRW.
Spacey plays Michael Lynch, suave, sardonic and sexy, a criminal who strides the Dublin streets like a colossus. He dreams up robberies with hallmark panache which seldom fail to endear him to the crowd. Lynch is a man of large emotions; he loves his two wives, his wild kids, his gang and, above all, his life. He challenges authority at every turn, culminating in the ultimate art theft from Dublin's most prestigious art gallery when he outwits the police, Interpol and even the rest of the criminal fraternity.
In distancing itself from John Boorman's 'The General' the company accepts that while aspects of Michael Lynch find their inspiration in some of Dublin's more colourful characters, 'Ordinary Decent Criminal' is a work of fiction, recalling the great tradition of upbeat gangster movies revolving around a central persona of larger than life appetites and ambitions.
Kevin Spacey ('The Usual Suspects', 'LA Confidential', 'The Negotiator') will be joined in Dublin by American actress Linda Fiorentino ('The Last Seduction', 'Men In Black', 'Jade') playing his wife, Christine. Other principle roles will be played by Peter Mullen (best actor in Cannes for Ken Loach's 'My Name Is Joe', also a veteran of 'Shallow Grave' and 'Trainspotting') actor/director David Hayman ('Hope and Glory', 'Rob Roy', 'The Boxer') and Stephen Dillane ('The Darkest Light', 'Firelight', 'Welcome to Sarajevo').
'Ordinary Decent Criminal' will be filmed on location in and around Dublin for eight weeks from September 29. For their production team, director Thaddeus O'Sullivan and producer Johnathan Cavendish have drawn together a team of international professionals: director of photography Andrew Dunn ('Ever After', 'The Bodyguard', 'The Madness of King George'), production designer Tony Burrough ('Great Expectations', 'Richard III', 'Bucaneers'), costume designer Jane Robinson ('Memphis Belle', 'Picture Perfect'), and editor David Ray ('Scarface', 'A Bronx Tale').
'Ordinary Decent Criminal' will be distributed in Ireland by Clarence Pictures and in the United States by Miramax.
Michael McMahon 01/10/98
