Matchstick Men DVD Review

"MATCHSTICK MEN" reviews

DVD

MATCHSTICK MEN

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2005-10-26 11:16:32

Provider

MRIB

DVD Review

When one thinks of dream cinematic partnerships, the prospect of director Ridley Scott and Oscar-winner Nicolas Cage is positively mouthwatering. Well now the pair have finally seen sense and got together for Matchstick Men.

Cage stars as Roy, a middle-aged con-man (or Matchstick Man) who is plain good at what he does. Thanks to the efforts of himself and his eager young partner (Sam Rockwell), Roy has a decent wedge stashed away in his safety deposit box. However Roy has a couple of problems as well; he's an obsessive-compulsive, agoraphobe, his shrink is feeding him menopausal supplements and the 14-year-old daughter (Alison Lohman) he's never met before has just shown up on the scene and she's eager to learn the family trade.

Beautifully structured and shot, Scott has really stamped his authority on this movie while Cage gives the sort of performance he built his reputation on as he effortlessly dominates every scene he's in.

An eclectic soundtrack (which even includes George Formby!) adds to the slightly off-kilter feel the film seems to revel in while there's enough twists and turns to keep you guessing right up until the very end.

Copyright © MRIB 2005.