Directed by Ridley Scott

I must confess to have never heard the term ?Matchstick Men? before but now I know that it refers to con artists and that is exactly the roles Nicolas Cage and Sam Rockwell play in this film. I am a huge fan of Mr. Cage and believe he is one of the best actors going around so it is never a chore to watch a movie that he stars in and this film is no exception. However, I have to say that Sam Rockwell hasn?t had the same effect on me and has played un-likeable characters in the films I have seen him in (this film remains true to that rule).

Roy Waller (Cage) and Frank Mercer(Rockwell) are con artists whose scams include selling water filters over the telephone with massive mark ups and then visiting people they have scammed and somehow getting access to their bank accounts as well. They are basically two guys you would gladly take home to meet the folks, not!!!!!!.

Roy is a chain smoker, agoraphobic and a sufferer of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and most of the laughs in this film come from his antics as he copes with day-to-day life, including germs, dirty carpets and making sure he has a regular supply of his pills. Frank, of course is the complete opposite, and is an absolute slob. It?s ?The Odd Couple? meets ?The Sting? (the movie not the wrestler).

When Roy runs out of pills Frank suggests a psychiatrist he can visit to get some more. On meeting this doctor, Dr. Harris Klein (Bruce Altman) he opens up about his life and how he was married and his pregnant wife walked on him fifteen years ago. Roy then asks the psychiatrist to contact his ex-wife Heather to find out if they have a child together and all of a sudden Roy finds himself meting up with Angela (Alison Lohman) his fourteen year old daughter. Roy and Angela start to form a bond together and she even encourages him to teach her some of his tricks. Angela even gets involved in one of his stings at the airport when they try to fleece quite a deal of money from Chuck Frechette (Bruce McGill).

From this point on, things go haywire as they find themselves being chased in their car by Frechette who wants his money back. Roy then has to try to protect Angela when Frechette tracks then down, beats up Frank and waits patiently for Roy to return home. Frechette wants in on the business and a cut of the profits just when Roy had decided he was going to clean up his act for the sake of his daughter. To say any more would be to give too much away but I will say that there are still a few little twists in this tale that need to unfold and I must admit that I wasn?t too surprised when they did evolve.

Matchstick Men is certainly an enjoyable film that doesn?t require a lot of thought on the viewer?s behalf and it generally managed to maintain my interest throughout its entirety. That said I was still a little disappointed as I always have high expectations of Nicolas Cage films and I didn?t feel that this film quite reached those heights. I still found myself watching the clock a little during the closing stages of the film.

Nicolas Cage is again the stand out performer and plays an OCD sufferer (germaphobe and agoraphobe) quite realistically (not that I have meet any). I particularly liked his tendencies to always open and close a door three times before answering it and the many facial tics that inflicted him. Alison Lohman is certainly a name that you will hear again and again. She was very convincing as a fourteen year old, when you consider that she was already 22 when she made the film. She is certainly fresh faced and acted the way you would expect a teenager too. I still can?t warm to Sam Rockwell, I would probably have applauded Frechette for beating the crap out of him if I was actually there. I still can?t forgive him for double crossing Charlie?s Angels.

I remember seeing the theatrical trailer for this film many months ago and thinking that the film would be garbage and then I read a review that said the trailer didn?t do the film justice. I would have to agree with this statement. However, the film was a little on the long side though (112 minutes) and as a result took a while to actually get going. It certainly improved once Roy and Angela got together but I would have liked to see a bit more of the film end on the cutting room floor to increase the initial pace of the film. And to quote the Elvis song, ?A little less conversation, a little more action please?!

It is not a film for the entire family due to the language used and violence but most adults will probably get a kick from the film. Nicolas Cage?s performance alone should be enough to entice you to hire this DVD. The twist at the end will surprise many as well.

THE EXTRAS

Other than Scene Selection (30 different scenes to choose from), there are also the following special features to peruse after the DVD ends:

1) Tricks of the Trade ? Making Matchstick Men This is a 71 minute long documentary that discusses many aspects of the film. There are three parts to this documentary (pre ? production, production and post production) and you can choose to watch all three parts or the parts individually.
PRE ?PRODUCTION ? Ridley Scott and his many helpers discuss casting, costumes and looking for locations for the film amongst other things. (This part runs for 25 minutes)
PRODUCTION - Here they discuss the actual filming of the film and you get to see many scenes being filmed. (They actually had to convert the Anaheim Convention Center into an airport from the movie, as they couldn?t get access to a real airport because of September 11). The film took a total of 50 days to shoot. (This part runs for about 27 minutes).
POST-PRODUCTION - Here the musical score is discussed and laid down and the deleted scenes are mentioned. The film is then shown to Ridley?s family and friends and then the test screening occurs. The film tested well but the end of the film was still changed slightly. Finally, the film is shown at the Toronto Film Festival. (This part runs for just over 20 minutes).

Overall, this is a very informative documentary. It leaves no stone unturned and gives a wonderful insight into the art of film making.

2) Audio Commentary is available from the director Ridley Scott as well as the co writers Nicholas and Ted Griffin.

3) Theatrical Trailer ? around 2 minutes long (gives you a general idea what the film is about but as usual contains most of the funny scenes).

CONCLUSION

Matchstick Men is a film about con artists, and is basically another vehicle to show off the incredible talent of Nicolas Cage. This time he plays Roy Waller who along with his partner Frank Mercer (Sam Rockwell) scam money from people in a number of ways. Roy suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder though and when his medication runs out he visits a psychiatrist, admits that his ex wife left him fifteen years ago with a bun in the oven, and soon finds himself face to face with his daughter Angela (Alison Lohman). Eventually, Angela finds out what Daddy does and wants to learn some of the tricks of the trade herself but soon finds her life in jeopardy when one of the scams goes wrong. However, prepare yourself for a twist in this tale that you may not see coming.

Overall, Matchstick Men is a little on the long side and a little slow to get going but is still an enjoyable way to spend 112 minutes. It is worth watching for Nicolas Cage alone who must be one of the best actors going around.