O'Sullivan did not want to again work under the factual and legal constraints of a film based on real people, and was more interested in making a comedy or caper, and instead they developed their own story only loosely based on Martin Cahill. The original project went back on the market and John Boorman came on board as director. O'Sullivan was worried that investors might think the two projects were too similar, but after Boorman's The General screened at Cannes people saw the films were very different and were willing to invest. O'Sullivan would have cast more Irish actors except for Boorman's film, and said "If his part had not been so prominent in The General, I would have had Seán McGinley in my film. I'd have him in every film." He felt it was necessary to cast recognizable named stars to stand the best chance of recouping the film's $10 million budget, and was ultimately pleased with what he described as a "dream cast". Having seen Colin Farrell in a play at London's Donmar Warehouse Theatre, Spacey invited him to appear in one of his films, and convinced director O'Sullivan to cast him. Reception The film received negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 14% based on reviews from 7 critics. Christopher Null writing for Filmcritic.com gave it 1.5 out of 5 wrote: "I can only imagine one thing worse than Kevin Spacey trying on an Irish accent, and that's sultry Linda Fiorentino doing the same thing." Though critical of the accents, he says the biggest problem is the dull and less than ordinary script. Derek Elley of Variety magazine called it "an ordinary, decent movie. Neither an embarrassment nor a triumph, tedious nor gripping". Elley praised the cast but compared it unfavorable with John Boorman's 1998 film The General. Music Soundtrack "One Day At a Time" – Damon Albarn and Robert Del Naja "Kevin on a Motorbike" – Damon Albarn "Superfinger" – Lowfinger "Mother of Pearl" – Bryan Ferry "I Want You" – Shack "Gopher Mambo" – Yma Sumac "Chase After Gallery" – Damon Albarn "Eurodisco" – Bis "Bank Job" – Damon Albarn "Dying Isn't Easy" – Damon Albarn Home media Ordinary Decent Criminal was released on DVD on 31 January 2003. References 2000 films Irish crime comedy films Irish heist films English-language Irish films 2000s heist films 2000s crime comedy