Matchstick Men

Roy (Cage) suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder, which has made his life one of routine. He has to do everything three times, his house is extremely clean, he has nervous ticks and he hates been outdoors. But when he has a career as a con artist, he really has to be on top of his game. His protégé and partner Frank (Rockwell) has an idea for a big con but as the plan starts into motion an unexpected bump in the road appears in the form of Roy's fourteen year-old daughter.

Director Ridley Scott leaves his usual extravagant projects behind to bring you a character driven, con men movie and it works, kind of.

This film shows what a great director the man is. Known for his visual flare, attention to detail and been able to combine all this with groundbreaking special effects, Matchstick Men feels more like a relaxing holiday for the prolific director. Here he gets to play with a small cast, excellent dialogue and a tight script that deals with human emotions as well as the criminal world of the con artist. Gone is his usual visual dexterity and fast editing to be replaced by elongated shots of conversations, juddery camera shots to highlight Cage's ticks and a darkened, filtered look to emphasise the character's fear of sunlight and the outdoors.

The performances are top draw. Nicolas Cage is becoming a great character actor. Again he has no difficulty playing a role requires him take on a physical and mental affliction, making the obsessive-compulsive behaviour of his character totally convincing. It is the way he works with Alison Lohman that is the real backbone of the performance however. The change in his character when he realises he has more responsibility than just for himself is testament to Cage's skill as an actor, as Roy grows into a man that now has a purpose.

Cage's performance would be nothing without the exceptional Alison Lohman. Her role as Roy's recently discovered fourteen year-old daughter (Even though Lohman herself was in fact twenty three when she made this) is the catalyst for the whole movie. The script captures the feeling that the two characters are really bonding and forming a father/daughter relationship before your very eyes and this is testament to Lohman and Cage's chemistry.

The rest of the cast are also good. Sam Rockwell puts in another scene-stealing performance as Roy's partner Frank. The man is becoming a great comedic character actor and Frank provides most of the laughs in the movie. It is a shame that he doesn't have as much screen time as you'd like him to. Bruce McGill and Bruce Altman are also good as the target for the grift and as Roy's physiatrist.

The movie works really well on a character basis but is let down by the underlying, con-driven plot. It is just far too predictable, as most people will spot what the twist outcome will be about thirty minutes before it is revealed. This really does spoil all of the good work that has been put into the two central characters and takes the movie out of the very good category.

The performances and direction of Matchstick Men deserved a much better ending than this but the presence of Cage, Lohman and Rockwell make this a very watchable comedy drama that relies more on character development than underlying plot. Now where is that lottery ticket?

Audio commentary from director Ridley Scott with writer Nicholas Griffin and writer/producer Ted Griffin, 'Making Matchstick Men' programme (60 mins) Interactive menu & Scene access

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2003