Matchstick Men (2003)

When you take director Ridley Scott’s name, the movie titles that immediately spring to your mind are “Alien”, “Blade Runner”, “Gladiator”. They were real high-intense thrillers/dramas that captured the audience’s heart and confirmed Scott’s status as a master of his genre. “Matchstick Men” is yet another movie from the master. But this does not look like the regular Ridley Scott movie. In fact, this is NOT a regular movie from Scott. This movie represents a deviation from all his previous ventures. And what a wonderful deviation this is! “Matchstick Men” is a funny caper movie and Scott handles it with aplomb.

Roy (Nicholas Cage) and Frank (Sam Rockwell) is an odd pair. Roy is an agoraphobic, germaphobic guy living in his supremely well-organised and clean apartment while Frank is the exact opposite. Roy is seeking medical counsel for his psychological problems. His psychiatrist, Dr. Klein (Bruce Altman) believes that Roy’s problem could be solved if he could get in touch with his family. Roy has separeated from his wife and doesn’t know that they have a child. So Dr. Klein arranges for Roy to meet his 14-year old daughter Angela (Alison Lohman) whom Roy has never met before. Their first meeting is quite uncomfortable as Roy is still recovering from the shock of seeing his daughter. Soon Angela comes to stay with Roy and he suddenly finds himself a “Parent”. This is even more uncomfortable for him. But he somehow tries to make the best of it and soon he bonds well with his daughter. He hopes that Angela won’t find out what he does for living. Roy is a professional con artist. He may be a quirky character, but he is a genius at crime. He can pull off almost any scam. Frank is his apprentice-cum-assistant-cum-partner. Angela finds this out one day and is actually quite interested in learning the art of con from the master. She even volunteers in the final caper that Roy is trying to pull. But will he be able to pull it off?

Though it’s primarily a caper movie, it does not neglect the father-daughter relationship between Roy and Angela. The characters are given enough time to develop so the relation between Roy and his daugter does not seem rushed. It takes time for Roy to adjust to his sudden “parental” status. But Angela’s charm wins him over. And he also starts taking delight in doing things for his child such as taking home her favorite ice-cream. The capers in the movie, though nothing extra-ordinary, provide enough juice to keep the viewers interested.

Nicholas Cage excels as the quirky Roy. He displays odd habits such as opening and closing the door thrice before going out. He plays the character with amazing restraint. So the character does not seem out-and-out stupid. Sam Rockwell is just perfect as Roy’s counterpart. Alison Lohman is also good as Roy’s long-absent daughter. The movie is filled with humour, little bit of suspense and some clever twists. The dialogues also sparkle with wit and intelligence. If you are looking for a nice movie to enjoy on a quite Sunday evening, go for “Matchstick Men”. It won’t disappoint you.