Nicolas Cage, Ridley Scott & The Intimacy of Matchstick Men
Matchstick Men. Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Matchstick Men, released in 2003, was an oddly intimate film for Ridley Scott, sandwiched between a string of blustering war and historical epics. Modestly budgeted at $62 million it was not a big financial success, but critics liked it. It’s a small film, with a small cast, about small people doing petty things. And yet, I found it quite moving.
Matchstick Men is about a pair of conmen, played by Nicolas Cage and Sam Rockwell. Cage, who has OCD and suffers panic attacks, learns he has a 14 year old daughter and as she re-enters his life the Law of Movies requires him to start rediscovering his humanity while also gradually involving her in his cons. You see where this is going… the consumate conman wars with himself about his life choices, which he can now see reflected back at him through the shining prism of his daughter.
Except, and I apologize but I must now spoil this nearly two decade old film, it turns out she is part of a longer con with Sam Rockwell to steal all of his money. The plan itself, like those of the Joker in the Dark Knight, is so convoluted and nonsensical it could only have been pulled off in the altered space time of a film. But ultimately that’s not really what this movie is about. It’s not about the twist, or the con, or even the plot. It’s the rapport the characters build up between themselves as the movie goes on. If it weren’t for that, this film would be a pretty forgettable pile of crap.
But this is Nicolas Cage we are talking about, when he was still I guess you would say in his prime. The man, in the right movie with the right director, is just compelling to watch. Alison Lohman as his daughter hits the right notes, and of course Sam Rockwell is Sam Rockwell for a reason. Cage gives off a weird vulernable energy in Matchstick Men which makes it impossible not to feel sorry for him even as he rips people off for a living.
And then when the tables get turned on him, it’s a moving moment in which the betrayal and the tragedy feel real. I find that pulling off a moment of such textured intimacy is rare in most films. But the actors here do it, because they connect with each other and the audience on some deeper level. Even though it’s formulaic and cheesy, you kind of want Cage to find some redemption when his daughter enters his life, and it’s sad when that is not only yanked away from him but his face gets rubbed in it afterward.
If anything, Matchstick Men shows Ridley Scott’s range. It’s a small, intimate film about the everyday problems of nobodies. It’s not about the meaning of life. It’s not a grand recreation of ancient Rome or an expertly staged war film. But it’s done with great skill, and uses great actors, so even though its scope and its ambitions are small compared to much of Ridley Scott’s other output it still moved me like a much grander film would.
