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By
WAYNE KLEIN
The con is on in director
Ridley Scott's fun and funny modern take on "The
Sting." Nicholas Cage plays Roy a man with so many
nervous ticks he could be an atomic clock. Roy's
house, the music he listens to (Frank Sinatra) and
his very essence has been imported from the early
60's into the 21st Century. Unfortunately, Roy
lives a life trapped in routine; he suffers from
an extreme case of obsessive-compulsive disorder
caused by the way he lives his life; he's a
flimflam man, a con man with more cons than a
cardshark has aces up his sleeve. Roy's obsessive
compulsive-behavior and tics are out of control
because his supplier of medication has skipped
town. Without his illegally obtained medication,
Roy goes into extreme cleaning mode. He can't
function and he can't work because his behavior
quirks will give him away.
His obnoxious and messy partner Frank (the
marvelous Sam Rockwell) urges him to see a shrink.
Now he must see a real doctor and discuss his very
real problems, something very much against his
nature. His new psychiatrist Dr. Klein manages to
get Roy on the couch just long enough to discover
that Roy has a daughter he's never seen and an
ex-wife. Dr. Klein urges Roy to contact his
daughter, suggesting part of his problems may be
related to the fact that he has no one to relate
to and leads a solitary, lonely life.
Roy's life turns upside down when he elects to
contact his teenage daughter. Suddenly, his
obsessive-compulsive lifestyle gets thrown for a
loop. She's exactly the opposite in all things
except one -- she has Roy's gift as a con artist
and can be just as manipulative as her dear, old
dad.
"Matchstick Men" plays almost like a dysfunctional
"The Sting" with quirky, nebbish characters at its
heart. Director Scott ("Alien", "Blade Runner",
"Gladiator") shows that the deft hand he displayed
in "Thelma and Louise" was no accident. After a
couple of less than memorable films ("Hannibal"
and the action/war film "Black Hawk Down") Scott
stretches himself as a director and pushes Cage to
give one of his best performances. His clever use
of early 60's visual stylistic touches and the
rich performances of the cast make "Matchstick
Men" instantly memorable and enjoyable. Rockwell
steals many of the scenes he shares with Cage,
which is quite an accomplishment, and Allison
Lohman does a great job playing Roy's seemingly
sweet but manipulative daughter. And Bruce McGill
proves once again that he's one of film's best
character actors playing the part of one of Roy's
marks. The plot features enough twists and turns
for a high-grade roller coaster. Kudos must also
be given to screenwriters Nicholas and Ted Griffin
for their sardonic and rich screenplay.
The rich and colorful transfer of "Matchstick Men"
looks exceptional. There are some minor issues
with edge enhancement in some scenes but it's very
much state of the art. There are no analog
artifacts noticeable and the compression artifacts
are kept to a minimum (in fact they're barely
noticeable). The warm colors of Southern
California come across in the rich cinematographer
by John Matheison and are faithfully reproduced.
The nicely detailed soundtrack compliments Hans
Zimmer's excellent score. The clarity and
sharpness of the sound is a great example of what
a good transfer can do to enhance the theatrical
sound of a motion picture for home viewing.
Viewers won't get burned with the extras on this
single disc: There is a documentary focusing on
the entire process of making a motion picture.
It's a fascinating glimpse for film fans. The
film's original trailer is also included, as is a
fascinating commentary from Scott, the writer and
producer of the film. The combination creates the
effect of a miniature film school all on one DVD.
It's a pity that actors Cage, Rockwell, Lohman and
McGill weren't given an opportunity to record an
audio track as well. It's always a delight to hear
the different perspective of an actor and compare
it to the director and writers.
"Matchstick Men" is definitely worth picking up,
as you'll enjoy the rich, detailed world that
Scott and his collaborators have created. |
