Hollywood usually depicts the Con Man as a loveable sort of crook, the nice
guy that will smile as he takes your life savings. Matchstick Men is no
different in this presentation of a career criminal. Roy (Nicholas Cage) is a
con man, excuse men, con artist. With his partner Frank (Sam Rockwell) they rip
off elderly people selling them $50 water filters for hundreds of dollars. As
with most such criminals, they are always looking for that one big score, the
one that will set them up for life. Now Frank is not only a crook, he is a man
with serve obsessive compulsion disorder, he has to open and close a door three
times, panics if a shoe should happen to touch his carpet and has ticks and
whoops when his disorder overwhelms him. When his illegally obtained medication
is accidentally split down the drain Frank seeks out the help of a shrink. The
shrink, Dr. Klein (Bruce Altman) wants to actually threat Frank rather than just
prescribe the pills so Frank winds up trying to get in touch with his 14 year
daughter, one that he never knew existed. Angela (Alison Lohman) comes into
Frank’s life like a hurricane. His orderly life is turned upside down as she
moves in with him. Angela discovers what Frank does for a living and talks him
into teaching her a simple con, she takes to it immediately. There is a third
main story line here, the set up for the fabled big score. Using foreign
currency they plan to take a rich investor Chuck (Bruce McGill). What works here
is the way the three stories intertwine, how they form a synergy, the whole
being greater than the sum of its parts. Frank takes to his new role as a
father, albeit in an unorthodox manner, parental control here is making Angela
return money she just conned. Angela opens up Frank’s life. Where he used to
live on a diet of canned tuna and cigarettes, now he buys pizza, ice cream and
sets down at the table with his daughter. He genuinely cares for this 14 year
old girl even though she completely disrupted is life. Angela brings life to
Frank, a youthful enthusiasm that was lost long ago. Rather than having his
vision of the world collapsed to searching for lint on his carpet this young
girl broadens his view of the world. After leaving her alone for awhile he
returns to her sleeping on the sofa amidst a room torn apart. Instead of being
concerned with the mess and bowing to his compulsions he smiles and pulls a
cover over Angela.
This film provided a perfect vehicle for Cage. He is one of the best actors
around today that can take a quirky character and present him in such a human
fashion that the audience immediately identifies with Frank. This ability to
humanize the most incredible odd characters is what Cage does best and here he
tops most of his previous roles. Instead of being distracted by the physical
quirks the audience is able to accept them as normal for this man. Lohman is
actually ten years older than the 14 years she plays here. She roles into her
character with an unbelievable ease. She plays Angela as a young girl on the
verge of maturity, one that instinctively knows out to push the right buttons
with her father to get her way. There is a natural chemistry between Lohman and
Cage, one that helps the audience understand Frank even more. McGill is a
largely underappreciated character actor. He has made a nice career in films and
television and here he brings his talent to bear on what amounts to a small but
pivotal role. This is also an important little role for actress Shelia Kelly as
a checkout person in Frank’s local market. In the brief scenes with Kelly just a
look conveys a lot that adds to the story.
Director Riddley Scott has never been confined to a single genre. He is able
to handle extreme action, fantasy, science fiction and drama with equal ease.
Here he weaves the elements of the three main plot lines together in a seamless
quilt that surrounds the audience. More than great pacing there is a rhythm to
this production. While the third act is somewhat rushed he manages to give a
twist at the end that I personally found entertaining. He realized that he had
talented actors here and he gave them the freedom to express those abilities.
His use of close-ups to feature the facial expressions that conveyed so much
more than words alone ever could. The framing of the scenes is near perfection,
the lighting far above what many films settle for. Scott is willing to take
risks and in films like this they pay off. He can handle a man exposing a young
girl to a life of crime in a completely inoffensive fashion. The scene where
Frank is teaching Angela to run a con reminded me of the film Leon only with a
non-violent crime being the syllabus. Scott uses a retro soundtrack that
absolutely fit in with the character of Frank, a man such in life. This film
works so well because Scott paid attention to the smallest detail and it shows.
The production of the DVD is far above many I have recently reviewed. The
audio was rich and full although the rear channels and sub woofer were not given
a lot to do. The anamorphic video had a true color balance with no edge effects
or defects visible. The commentary track was always interesting and helped the
viewer understand a bit more of the back story of the characters. One warning,
do not listen to the commentary until you have seen the whole film. Early on a
causal comment provides a clue to the twist at the end that can ruin it for you,
when you re-watch the film that little statement will pop out at you. There is a
three part featurette also provided. It breaks down the making of the film into
pre-production, production and post-production. Each segment details every
aspect of making this movie. It is almost a mini course in cinema. Over all this
is a keeper. Even after you know the end you can return to this film for the
performances.
Posted 3/5/04