MATCHSTICK MEN
A Warner Bros. Release

review by Joseph B. Mauceri

SYNOPSIS: Meet Roy (CAGE) and Frank (ROCKWELL), a couple of pros at the small-time con. Some folks call them flimflam men, Grifters or Matchstick Men. You can take your pick. Roy is the veteran of the grift, and Frank is his ambitious protégé. Their scams net them a few hundred here, another thousand there, which makes for a lucrative partnership.

Roy¹s private life, however, is a mess. Roy is an obsessive-compulsive agoraphobic who is barely hanging on to his wits. When his condition begins to threaten his criminal productivity he¹s forced to seek the help of a psychoanalyst (ALTMAN). Roy is looking for a quick fix, pills. However, his therapist helps him come to the revelation that he has a teenage daughter, a child whose existence he suspected but never dared confirm. What¹s more troubling to Roy is that the 14-year-old Angela (LOHMAN) wants to meet the father she never knew.

REVIEW: Take one extremely compelling visual director ¯ Ridley Scott. Add an academy award-winning actor who creates a unique performance for every new role ¯ Nicholas Cage. You¹re off to a good start. Bring to the table a critically acclaimed novel and you¹ve got a sure fire hit on your hands that might even get a few nominations here and there.

Ridley Scott is largely known for his stylized action/adventure films. From ³Alien² through ³Black Hawk Down,² his films, at the least, are visually compelling. But not many people necessarily think of Scott when it comes to dark comedies. Yet Scott directed the critically acclaimed ³Thelma & Louise.² With MATCHSTICK MEN, Scott takes a story with a unique twist and applies his uncompromising vision. His camera work and production designs bring a keen sense of style to this con game. Scott creates a unique look to the reality of the film¹s main character, Roy, by offering us a look into Roy¹s skewed reality.

MATCHSTICK MEN isn¹t simply about style; it¹s about the dysfunctional relationship of three characters ¯ Roy, Frank & Angela. From ³Raising Arizona² to ³Adaptation,² Cage adds yet another unique and memorable character to his credits. There is something of Cage in all of his performances, but he brings something unique to each new role. Roy is one of those rare, truly complex characters. Cage serves it all up and gives us a feel for the personal demons Roy is struggling with. As Roy experiences a growth over the course of the film Cage allows the audience to feel it.

With such a strong performance by Cage, you can easily overlook the equally impressive work of Alison Lohman and Sam Rockwell. A twenty-something convincingly fills the part of a 14-year-old. It¹s not some much the mannerisms or her dialogue, but Lohman manages to channel the exuberant energy of a kid at that age. There is a natural chemistry between Lohman and Cage the raises the stakes for the audience.  When Cage turns on Roy¹s game face, he becomes a smooth, seasoned pro. Actor Sam Rockwell, who first received critical acclaim for his portrayal of ³Wild Bill² Wharton in ²The Green Mile,² plays yet another bad guy. For all of Roy¹s mentorship, Rockwell¹s Frank still has a greasy edge to him. It¹s an ensemble cast that brings the story to life.

Scott has fun with the other elements of the film. Roy¹s home is an extremely neat ranch house, circa 50¹ or 60¹s, complete with a pool in the backyard. There¹s a shot with Roy and Frank sitting at the bar in the house that feels like a scene out of one of the ³Rat Pack² movies. Adding to that ambiance is a soundtrack that features songs by Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin, and even Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass. When you combine those elements with the performances and Scott¹s visual style, MATCHSTICH MEN takes on an American Grimm¹s Fairy Tale tone.

That brings us back to Ridley Scott and his films. From ³Alien,² ³Blade Runner,² ³Thelma & Louise,² ³G.I. Jane,² ³Hannibal,² ³Gladiator,² and now with MATCHSTICK MEN, at the core of his films Scott appears to deal with an exploration into a search for identity. It¹s a questioning of identity in terms of who we are. Are we being true to our nature and who are we meant, or want, to be? That search can either liberate us, or it can destroy us. In the case of MATCHSTICK MEN, the wrong committed against Roy indirectly liberates Roy and allows him get in touch with his true self. I want to go into it in a bit more detail here, but that would spoil the film for you.

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http://matchstickmenmovie.warnerbros.com/

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