Movie Review: Matchstick Men

Matchstick Men

With a stellar cast and award-winning director Ridley Scott at the helm, Matchstick Men could hardly have been a bad movie. As it turns out, it's even better than the sum of its considerable parts thanks to a relentlessly clever script and some very creative editing.

The term "matchstick men" is synonymous with "grifters" or "con men". And that's exactly what Roy (Nicolas Cage) and his ardent protegé, Frank (Sam Rockwell) are. The two have come up with a scam that lets them keep their heads above water financially, but Frank wants more. Frank wants a big score, and he's found just the rich man to be the victim. Roy, however, isn't interested. He's got enough troubles of his own, and reglarly visits psychiatrist (Dr. Klein, played by Bruce Altman) in an attempt to keep at least some of his issues at bay. But he's nearly pushed over the proverbial edge when he learns that his wife, who left him long ago, gave birth to his daughter who is now 14 and wants to meet her dad. With encouragement from his doctor, Roy screws up his courage to meet Angela (Alison Lohman) and, despite all of his difficulties and quirks, does his best to play the father even if he's a little late doing so. But Frank won't give up on his idea of bilking the wealthy Chuck Frechette (Bruce McGill), and Roy is convinced to go for the money after realizing he wants to give his daughter more than his current lifestyle allows.

Nicolas Cage, who won an Oscar™ for Leaving Las Vegas and who was nominated for Adaptation, deserves another nomination for Matchstick Men. Roy, who is a complicated and very unusual personality, comes to life thanks to Cage's considerable talent. Sam Rockwell, who I believe was positively amazing as Chuck Barris in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, lives up to his potential in Frank. Unfortunately, Frank doesn't have anywhere near the range that Rockwell does. Alison Lohman has also received kudos for her acting, and was astounding in her movie debut as the long suffering daughter of Michelle Pfeiffer in White Oleander. Although good in Matchstick Men, the fact that a 24 year-old was playing a 14 year-old was occasionally obvious, and that detracted from the impact of several scenes. It may be Ridley Scott's direction, however, that comes in second only to Cage's performance that makes this movie as good as it is. The fact that the editing is superlative doesn't hurt a bit, either.

Even considering its few flaws, I enjoyed this movie a good deal, and I don't hesitate to recommend it to movie fans of all kinds.

FAMILY SUITABILITY: Matchstick Men is rated PG-13. There are a few violent scenes, and the entire subject matter is too mature to be taken as lightly as some children might tend toward. I'd suggest those under 14 stay away, but that this movie is good entertainment for just about everyone else.