Richard Gaddis (played by John C. Reilly) is a protagonist in Criminal.
Richard Gaddis is a small-time crook who uses polished clothes and a businessman’s manner to make his confidence games credible. He recruits Rodrigo after rescuing him from arrest, plans a fraudulent currency-note sale, and repeatedly tries to cheat Rodrigo, Valerie, and Michael before discovering they have been deceiving him. Rodrigo (played by Diego Luna) is a protagonist in Criminal.
Rodrigo is a young con artist whose innocent manner and trustworthy appearance allow him to deceive others. Richard saves him from arrest and recruits him as a partner for a major scam targeting William Hannigan. Rodrigo joins because he needs money connected to his father’s gambling debts, but ultimately participates in the scheme against Richard. Valerie (played by Maggie Gyllenhaal) appears in Criminal.
Valerie is Richard’s uptight sister and works as a hotel concierge. William Hannigan becomes interested in her, forcing Richard to bring her into the fraudulent currency scheme. Although she is initially drawn into Richard’s plan, she ultimately helps take the inheritance share that Richard had wrongfully withheld. William Hannigan (played by Peter Mullan) appears in Criminal.
William Hannigan is a wealthy collector who becomes the intended buyer of Richard and Rodrigo’s fraudulent silver certificate. His interest in Valerie gives Richard a reason to involve her in the scam. The ending reveals that Hannigan was secretly participating in a confidence game against Richard from the beginning. Michael (played by Jonathan Tucker) appears in Criminal.
Michael is Richard’s brother and is connected to the family inheritance that Richard has cheated him out of. Richard’s involvement in the scam requires him to admit this deception to Michael. In the final reversal, Michael works with Valerie and the other major players to recover their rightful share from Richard.
Criminal (2004) character relationship network mapped with AI analysis. Explore the connections, alliances, and conflicts between characters.
Characters
Richard Gaddis
(played by John C. Reilly) — protagonist
Richard Gaddis is a small-time crook who uses polished clothes and a businessman’s manner to make his confidence games credible. He recruits Rodrigo after rescuing him from arrest, plans a fraudulent...
Rodrigo
(played by Diego Luna) — protagonist
Rodrigo is a young con artist whose innocent manner and trustworthy appearance allow him to deceive others. Richard saves him from arrest and recruits him as a partner for a major scam targeting Willi...
Valerie
(played by Maggie Gyllenhaal) — supporting
Valerie is Richard’s uptight sister and works as a hotel concierge. William Hannigan becomes interested in her, forcing Richard to bring her into the fraudulent currency scheme. Although she is initia...
William Hannigan
(played by Peter Mullan) — supporting
William Hannigan is a wealthy collector who becomes the intended buyer of Richard and Rodrigo’s fraudulent silver certificate. His interest in Valerie gives Richard a reason to involve her in the scam...
Michael
(played by Jonathan Tucker) — supporting
Michael is Richard’s brother and is connected to the family inheritance that Richard has cheated him out of. Richard’s involvement in the scam requires him to admit this deception to Michael. In the f...
Canonical Relationships
Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.
Valerie → William Hannigan
(Romantic Interest)
William Hannigan takes a fancy to Valerie, a hotel concierge, and his interest becomes a reason for her involvement in the scam.
Valerie → Michael
(Family Sibling)
The ending states that Valerie and Michael can rightfully take their share of the inheritance, while Michael is also identified as Richard's brother.
Richard Gaddis → Michael
(Family Brother)
Richard must admit to Michael, his brother, that he cheated him out of his share of their inheritance.
Richard Gaddis → Valerie
(Family Brother)
Valerie is explicitly identified as Gaddis's sister.
Story Dynamics
Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.
Rodrigo → William Hannigan
(Conflict Con Artist And Target)
Rodrigo joins Richard's plan to sell a fraudulent silver certificate currency note to Hannigan.
Richard Gaddis → William Hannigan
(Conflict Fraudster And Mark)
Richard and Rodrigo plan to sell William Hannigan a fraudulent version of a silver certificate currency note.
Richard Gaddis → Rodrigo
(Alliance Con Artist Partner)
Richard discovers Rodrigo performing small cons and proposes a partnership after testing his trustworthiness. Rodrigo agrees to join Richard in the la...
Story Analysis
A professional conman builds an elaborate scam only to discover that his supposed marks have been deceiving him for their own inheritance claims.
