Review
MATCHSTICK MEN
Starring Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell and Alison Lohman
Directed by Ridley Scott
Opens Friday, September 12
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Ridley Scott’s new light drama about a career con man who gets an unexpected and unwelcome chance to be a father is a lot like its central grifter: endearing and interesting although not unforgettable.
Held up by three strong performances, Matchstick Men is chiefly supported by Nicolas Cage’s impressive turn as Roy, an obsessive-compulsive con man who lives a painfully ordered existence in Los Angeles. Burdened with physical tics (he occasionally chokes on his words and u blinks his eyesncontrollably), agoraphobia and the need to keep everything around him spotless, Roy follows a strict routine to get through his day. He smokes cigarettes incessantly, opens and closes doors three times before coming or going and can’t allow anyone to step on his carpet with their shoes on.
Pulling petty scams with his young partner and protégé Frank (Sam Rockwell), Roy adds to the endless stash of money he keeps in both a ceramic bulldog in his home and a safe deposit box at the bank. A gruff, crude opposite to Roy’s manic, mannered presence, Frank helps his elder partner cope with his paranoia and phobias. And when Roy accidentally drops his supply of pills down the drain, his young cohort sends him to see a shrink to get a new stash. Uneasy about discussing his problems with a doctor, Roy slowly starts to open up and is encouraged to make contact with his ex-wife, who left him years ago when she was pregnant. The result: Roy gets to meet his daughter, 14-year-old Angela (Alison Lohman).
Throwing off his routine and, at the same time, forcing him to become an oddly protective father, Angela’s presence quickly gives meaning to Roy’s empty life. Of course when the fun goes from enjoying a late-night pizza to sharing the secrets of the grift, things become more complicated, and Roy unwittingly involves Angela in the massive heist he’s agreed to work with Frank.
While Rockwell’s wily, obnoxious yet lovable Frank is a perfect complement to Cage’s tightly wound Roy, the real delight is Lohman. As the exuberant Angela, who can get her dad to do her bidding with an innocent flash of her dimpled smile, the young actress is perfect as the innocent kid who’s got an uncanny skill for her dad’s line of work.
Like any decent film about con artists, Matchstick Men plays its audience for the fool. And while the sting is well orchestrated and enjoyable, the effect is fleeting. |
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