Released in 2003 and based on a book of the same name by Eric Garcia, “Matchstick Men” is a near perfect movie. From the music, to the direction, to the acting, there is never once a moment that makes you want to pick up your phone. My only regret is that I wish I had seen it sooner.
Directed by Ridley Scott, it stars Nicolas Cage as Roy Waller, Sam Rockwell as Frank Mercer, and Alison Lohman as Angela. Roy is a conman with severe OCD and Tourette’s living in Los Angles. He, along with his partner Frank, sells overpriced water filtration systems via phone calls. Roy loses his medicine one day and finds out his doctor who has been illegally providing the drugs has left town. This causes him all sorts of issues until Frank suggests he sees a shrink to get more pills. While in therapy Roy laments about his failed marriage and the possibility that he has a child. Roy asks the shrink to call his ex, and he learns he has a daughter named Angela.
Their relationship leads to Roy being able to manage his disorders more. What might seem like a rather generic parental movie about reconnecting with loved ones, “Matchstick Men” is so much more than that. Every scene feels highly important in the development of the main characters, especially Roy. With his mannerisms and the way they are shown when he is in a crisis, the viewer also feels like they are in crisis.
Cage gives one of his best performances in this movie. Lohman also gives an excellent performance as Angela and does a pretty convincing portrayal of a 14-year-old, despite being in her 20s. The editing is perfect and the music choices are amazing as well.
The movie tackles a variety of themes, but the strongest is loneliness. Besides Frank, Roy doesn’t interact with anyone else at the beginning of the film. And those who he does interact with are the people he is conning. Despite all the money he has, he has no one. It is through that human connection with Angela that he finds new meaning in his life and a desire to change as a person. Illusions also play a big role in the story of the film. Roy and Frank create illusions of wealth to con people. They put on different personas all to make money. But illusions go way deeper than that, especially relating to the ending.
The only thing one could criticize about the movie is that it gets very outlandish near the end. But I would argue that the movie draws you in so much that you can ignore it and have an amazing watch. By the end, the movie pulls what some might call a con on the viewer though in the best way possible.
“Matchstick Men” is definitely a top-ten movie for me. I highly suggest that you watch the movie to experience it for yourself. You could not possibly regret it. “Matchstick Men” gets a 9.8/10.