Special Coverage 2008 Fall Movie PreviewThe Must ListBox Office ChallengeSound Bites
  • --
Matchstick Men | 17536__matchstickmen_l
ALL IN THE FAMILY Grifters Cage and Lohman

Credits

Release Date: Feb 24, 2004; Rated: PG-13; Genres: Drama, Thriller; With: Nicolas Cage, Alison Lohman and Sam Rockwell; Distributor: Warner Bros.

Taking a break from such gritty, ponderous epics as ''Gladiator'' and ''Black Hawk Down,'' director Ridley Scott returns to his sassy ''Thelma & Louise'' style with a quirky and slick style piece. Matchstick Men centers on a neurotic, compulsive con artist -- played to tic-ridden perfection by Nicolas Cage. On top of his physical and neurological burdens, he's saddled with a butter-smooth partner in crime (Sam Rockwell) and a suddenly resurfaced teenage daughter (a 22-year-old Alison Lohman in a beguiling, wide-eyed performance). In the end, though, maybe Scott is the real matchstick man: The filmmaker has us believe we're getting a madcap comedy, but instead we end up with a cautionary tale of retribution and salvation.

EXTRAS The straightforward commentary by Scott and screenwriters Ted and Nicholas Griffin (who adapted Eric Garcia's novel) is no shell game, nor is the for-film-geeks-only ''Tricks of the Trade'' featurette.


Posted Mar 05, 2004
 

Add Your Comments

The rules: Keep it clean, and stay on the subject or we might delete your comment. If you see inappropriate language, e-mail us. You must have javascript enabled to submit a comment.
--
Change/Edit your grade
characters remaining