Matchstick Men (2004, DVD)

Matchstick Men engagingly mixes two seemingly incompatible cinematic genres, the family bonding pic and the heist movie. Director Ridley Scott adapts Eric Garcia's story of a quirky con artist (Nicolas Cage) whose relatively normal professional life is suddenly thrown off kilter by his introduction to his 14-year old daughter (Alison Lohman) and her desire to be a part of his criminal life. As George Costanza would say, Worlds are colliding!.

(Following the story of the film is much of the fun, so that's all the plot you're getting.)

The appeal of Matchstick Men is derived primarily from the appeal and solid work of its leads, Cage, Lohman, and Sam Rockwell, who is Cage's partner in crime. Akin to his role in Adaptation, Cage plays an idiosyncratic person who exhibits symptoms and tics similar to one with Tourette's Syndrome. He does this without succumbing to the temptation to overact, instead effectively melding it into his character. Lohman, who was twenty-two at the time of shooting, remarkably blends her real-life maturity with the proper carriage of her 14-year old character, never giving an indication of the age gap. Rockwell epitomizes an intelligent con man in his supporting role, oozing sliminess while maintaining a professional air. This trio creates a very likable set of characters that carry the film. You may or may not relate to them (I didn't) and may or may not be a fan of the actors themselves (I'm not a big Cage fan), but you will undoubtedly enjoy watching them (I did).

A braid of professionalism weaves through the technical aspects of the entire film as well, also contributing to its appeal. From the top down, every facet of production is well done, even though the picture is not typical fare for many of its participants. Usually behind the lens of big-budget movies like Black Hawk Down, Ridley Scott adjusts well to this smaller picture, utilizing his preference for few takes to get the most out of everyone involved. The editing of Dody Dorn (Memento)is noteworthy for its tone-matching flexibility. She mirrors the actions of Cage by using a jumpier editing style when his symptoms are worse and a more traditional technique when he calms down.

Hans Zimmer has also adapted his score to the nature of the film. Known for his soaring work in action films like Gladiator and Pirates of the Caribbean, Zimmer instead accents the lighter side of Matchstick Men by eschewing blaring horns and dramatic strings in favor of a largely percussive score that nearly sounds as though recorded on a synthesizer. The clever editing and atmospheric music combine with John Mathieson's solid blue-green cinematography that stresses the contrast of light and dark to perfectly fulfill the roles of the technical aspects. Everything matches well to present a singular look and feel that provide an enjoyable film experience, hindered partially by a quirk of pacing.

The first ninety minutes proceed leisurely, gently telling the story of a father and daughter. As the last half hour hits the gas, it throws you back in your seat, disrupting the established pace and eliminating the majority of the humor that had marked the film. Much of the first ninety minutes could be classified as comedy, while the final scenes fall into the drama/thriller category. Given the content of the script, I don't think this is a poor decision, but the abrupt switch in tone still jars the viewer into a few moments of discomfort.

That and the lack of personal connection are my only complaints. Maybe you will find an emotional link with the film; I hope you do. But I didn't find myself intimately involved with the event, just an observer of a finely crafted story that fully entertains to the very end. A solid four of five stars for Matchstick Men, which would have made my Top Ten of 2003 had I seen it last year. Learn from my mistake; go rent this film.


DVD Extras

The audio and video are both well above average. The bright nature of the picture comes through sharply without being washed out, and the details are nicely defined with little to no grain apparent. As expected from this sort of film, the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is primarily background music, without much bass or sound effects, but still flowed clearly and cleanly from all speakers, allowing the viewer to concentrate on the dialogue.

A full-length audio commentary features the screenwriters, brothers Ted and Nicholas Griffin, along with Ridley Scott, who is recorded separately and spliced in. Be warned, the Griffins give away major plot points very early on, but other than that, they are quite humorous, relating numerous stories about early production and the development of the screenplay. Scott is more serious, but also more educational. He supplies a basket of information about all aspects of production, from acting processes to plot development, along with good technical talk about lens sizes and the such. The trio is edited together to form a very good commentary worth listening to if you are so inclined.

A seventy minute documentary, Tricks of the Trade: Making Matchstick Men, is as good as any extra you'll find. This doc merges parts of two popular DVD features, audio commentary and deleted scenes. Containing interviews with all of the principal crew members, the three parts chronologically follow the cast and crew during pre- and post-production, along with the actual making of the film. During the early stages, we see decisions being made about casting, costumes, and locations. The middle portion lets us observe the shooting process. In the latter third, we get to watch and hear about scenes that were chopped during editing. The three parts collectively form a highly informative and entertaining extra, precisely why DVDs were created.

So if you like Matchstick Men, and I aver that you should, I recommend a purchase because it meets my two key criteria for buying a DVD. The extras are very good, and you can definitely watch the film multiple times. Enjoy.