| |
|
Friday, 14 January 2005 |
| Written by Dave
|
|
|
| 
|
|
| Movie: Matchstick Men
Reviewed By: M
Cast:
Nicolas Cage .... Roy Waller
Sam Rockwell .... Frank Mercer
Alison Lohman .... Angela
Bruce Altman .... Dr. Klein
Bruce McGill .... Chuck Frechette
Summary:
Phobia-addled con artist Roy (Cage) and his protege Frank (Rockwell) are
on the verge of pulling off a lucrative swindle when the unexpected
arrival of Roy's teenage daughter Angela (Lohman) disrupts his carefully
ordered life and jeopardizes his high-risk scam.
|
 |
Critique:
The Fall season kicks off with a good selection of movies. One of which is
Ridley Scott's latest project "Matchstick Men." Though he is
most known for his more violent movies such as Gladiator & Alien, this
one is rather light but still delivers.
The acting in this movie is simply stunning. Nicholas Cage plays an OCD-ed
con-artist and makes you believe both the sickness and slickness very
effectively. He plays the character so well that you can't help but feel
sorry for him at times or laugh with him or at him in other times. And if
Cage's performance wasn't enough, Alison Lohman(White Oleander) does an
incredible job playing her role. Though she is 24 and plays a 14 years old
in the movie she really shows her talent in this movie. I think one of
them, most likely Cage, will win or at least be nominated for some awards
this year.
Unlike most of the latest crime movies, this one takes a more realistic
and deep look at the lives and work of con-artists. This movie is not as
entertaining or slick as Ocean's 11 but it's certainly more character
driven and dramatic. It also takes on divorced parents and their
relationship with their kids and how much of a difference that child can
make.
One of the few things I disliked about this movie is that it takes too
long to get to the point in some scenes. They could have taken that time
to provide a deeper look at the cons they were doing but the ending makes
up for most of that. The movie has a nice mix between Comedy, Crime and
Drama but if you go in expecting a big amount of one of these genres you
will be disappointed.As long as you enjoy all of them you will be happy
with it.
"Matchstick Men" is a very good light crime drama with nice
twists and good ending. The acting alone is worth the price of admission.
Rating: 8/10
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, violence, some sexual
content and language.
Runtime: 116
"Matchstick Men" opened nationwide Friday, September 12, 2003.
|
|
|
Friday, October 10. 2008 Thursday, October 09. 2008 Wednesday, October 08. 2008
|
Interviews