Matchstick Men (2003)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Ridley Scott

Writers (WGA):

Eric Garcia (book)
Nicholas Griffin (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

12 September 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

lie cheat steal rinse repeat

Plot:

A phobic con artist and his protege are on the verge of pulling off a lucrative swindle when the con artist's teenage daughter arrives unexpectedly.

Plot Keywords:

Con Artist | Daughter | Taxi | Supermarket | Exotic Dancer

Awards:

1 nomination

US TV Schedule:

Thur. July 23

6:00 AM

USA

Cast

Nicolas Cage	...	Roy Waller
Sam Rockwell	...	Frank Mercer
Alison Lohman	...	Angela
Bruce Altman	...	Dr. Klein
Bruce McGill	...	Chuck Frechette
Jenny O'Hara	...	Mrs. Schaffer
Steve Eastin	...	Mr. Schaffer
Beth Grant	...	Laundry Lady
Sheila Kelley	...	Kathy
Fran Kranz	...	Slacker Boyfriend
Tim Kelleher	...	Bishop
Nigel Gibbs	...	Holt
Bill Saito	...	Pharmacist #1
Tim Maculan	...	Pharmacist #2
Stoney Westmoreland	...	Man in Line

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, violence, some sexual content and language.

Runtime:

116 min | Canada:120 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor) | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Malaysia:U | Canada:PG (Ontario) | South Korea:15 | New Zealand:M | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Canada:14A | Chile:14 | Finland:K-11 | Germany:12 (w) | Ireland:12 | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:12A (original rating) | UK:12 (video rating) (2004) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #39979)

Filming Locations:

Anaheim Convention Center - 800 W. Katella Avenue, Anaheim, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The airport scenes, set at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), were actually filmed in the main entrance of the Anaheim Convention Center, a mile south of Disneyland. Due to recent security measures in the nation's airports, filming rights have been severely restricted on airport property.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Despite the fact that obsessive-compulsive Roy has supposedly been locked in his house for days cleaning every square inch, dirty fingerprints are clearly visible on the door when he finally answers it.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Roy: Uno, due, tre.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Guardian (2006/I)

Soundtrack:

The Lonely Bull

A delicately balanced film.

"Matchstick Men" is a film with extremely difficult characterizations and plot twists. Under a different director, and with a different set of stars, this may have been a complete failure. Ridley Scott directs with a level of professionalism that he has built up over the years, but adds some very nice stylistic "heist movie" touches. When it comes down to it, "Matchstick Men" is very much a 60s-70s con/heist film, and has it's fair share of homage.

Nicolas Cage is wonderful as an obsessive-compulsive man, (amoung other disorders) and does not over-do the symptoms. This is something I appreciate, since I suffer from a milder form of OCD. It's important to remember that we're not all Howard Hughes. Sam Rockwell is excellent, and a bit slimy, and Alison Lohman shows her range by playing a dramatically younger character than herself.

This is a wonderful and entertaining film, yet doesn't fake it's way through the real emotions. Definitely worth the watch.

7.7 out of 10