Genre: Crime, Thriller, Drama, Comedy, Scams And Cons, Deception, Doctor, Capers, Mental Illness
Tagline: lie cheat steal rinse repeat
Plot: Meet Roy (NICOLAS CAGE) and Frank (SAM ROCKWELL), a couple of pros at the small-time con. As in con artists. Grifters. Matchstick Men. Take your pick.What Roy, a veteran of the grift, and Frank, his ambitious protégé, are swindling – er, make that selling – these days are “water filtration systems,” bargain-basement water filters bought by unsuspecting people who pay ten times their value in order to win bogus prizes like cars, jewelry and overseas vacations…which they never collect. These scams net the flim-flam men a few hundred here, another thousand there, which eventually adds up to a lucrative partnership. Roy’s private life, however, is not so successful. An obsessive-compulsive agoraphobe (and chain-smoker) with no personal relationships to call his own, Roy is barely hanging on to his wits, and when his idiosyncrasies begin to threaten his criminal productivity he’s forced to seek the help of a psychoanalyst (BRUCE ALTMAN) just to keep him in working order. While Roy is looking for a quick fix (i.e. pills), his therapy begets more than he bargained for: the revelation that he has a teenage daughter – a child whose existence he suspected but never dared confirm. What’s more troubling, 14-year-old Angela (ALISON LOHMAN) wants to meet the father she never knew. At
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 Discussion forum for this movie
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 Matchstick Men is nothing more than an above-average character drama with some fun twists, some great character acting by everyone involved - including Bruce McGill - and a sharp, stylish look. What more do you need, really? It's too bad that all studio movies can't be as solid as Matchstick Men. Even if you don't like the plot or something else in that vein, at least the movie looks like it was made by a director who had a clear vision for the film... 7.5/10-- (CHUD.com)
In addition to being moderately suspenseful, Matchstick Men also has a sly, biting sense of humor that occasionally results in laugh-aloud moments.  --James Berardinelli (ReelViews)
In Ridley Scott's latest, starring Nicolas Cage and Sam Rockwell as a pair of con men, the director proves that he doesn't count on his audience to be intelligent.--Stephanie Zacharek (Salon)
The movie will work best for you if you don't fight it and try not to put too much thought into certain anomalies that crop up along the way. Let it swindle you; it's part of the fun. In fact, it's all of the fun.--Stephen Hunter (Washington Post)
Absorbed me immensely for most of the duration with its cool and jazzy tone and intriguing characters B--Lee Tistaert (Lee's Movie Info)
The premise, the plot twists and the performances all energize "Matchstick Men," which is quite a departure from Scott's previous films.  --Barry Paris (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
"Matchstick Men," unlike some of this year's more forgettable grifter movies (Confidence), stands out from the rest as a well-polished action drama that will tug on your emotions and sadistically toy with them until the end. 9/10--Scott Spicciati (Movie-Vault.com)
One-half indie, one-half Hollywood, Matchstick Men is as good a distraction as one might hope to get, if one doesn't mind being distracted from the obvious.  --Christopher Monfette (MovieWeb)
“Matchstick Men” is not bad, but it’s not particularly good either. It’s a clear wait-for-the-DVD case.  --Kevin N. Laforest (Montreal Film Journal)
A cute and silly trifle, a sugary confection that will not linger long on the palate after you’ve left the theatre. 75/100--Dan Jardine (Apollo Guide)
It's shocking how good Nicolas Cage is as an obsessive-compulsive con man in "Matchstick Men," a well-crafted grifter tale with heart. --Jami Bernard (New York Daily News)
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| Written by |
Eric Garcia
Anonymous Rex, Tricks of the Trade: Making 'Matchstick Men' | |
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| Music By |
Hans Zimmer
Gladiator, Batman Begins, As Good as It Gets |
 | José Padilla
City Lights, All Night Long, Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin |
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Stylishly directed, well-written and boasting an eclectic soundtrack, this is an enjoyable con flick with both Cage and Ridley Scott on top form.  --Matthew Turner (ViewLondon)
Ridley Scott's 14th feature film "Matchstick Men" does not join his very best work, nor does it join his very worst -- and he is a filmmaker capable of both extremes. Rather, this new con man comedy merely passes the time in a pleasant way then disappears like a carelessly placed wallet.--Jeffrey M. Anderson (San Francisco Examiner)
Just when the confidence trick film seemed to have breathed its last, Ridley Scott has come along and given it new life by expanding its horizons. Not just a pretty scam (although it certainly is that), but also a redemptive drama whose deeply flawed central character is allowed to develop and change. Not a world changer, but far more intelligent and moving than 'Gladiator'. 7/10--Anton Bitel (Movie Gazette)
The only major flaw in this otherwise compelling film is the tacky Hollywood ending slapped on in the final reel.--Paul Clinton (CNN Showbiz)
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