Matchstick Men (2003)

Starring Nicolas Cage, Alison Lohman, Sam Rockwell, and Bruce McGill.  Cinematography by John Mathieson. Editing by Dody Dorn.  Produced by Sean Bailey, Ted Griffin, Jack Rapke, Steve Starkey, and Ridley Scott.  Written by Nicholas Griffin and Ted Griffin.  Directed by Ridley Scott.

Despite being an obsessive compulsive agoraphobe, Roy Waller (played by Nicolas Cage) is one of the best grifters in the business. He and his partner/protégé Frank Mercer (played by Sam Rockwell) are currently running a “water filtration” scam and swindling dozens of unsuspecting victims.  While each con only nets them a few hundred dollars, business is booming and Roy has put away quite a decent nest egg.  His personal life is significantly less successful. 

He lives alone in a modest house where he does his very best to avoid making a mess. When his mental quirks and irrational phobias begin to affect his professional life, he seeks the assistance of a psychiatrist (played by Bruce Altman) to help get him back under control.  It is during this time that he discovers that he has fourteen year old daughter (played by Alison Lohman) who is suddenly very interested in developing a relationship with her estranged father.  Now committed to one of the biggest scores of his career, Roy must cope with both being a father and maintaining his sanity.

Eric Garcia, the author of the popular “Rex Series” which details the comedic accounts of a dinosaur disguised a private investigator, is represented by the same talent agent as writer Ted Griffin and producer Sean Bailey. When Garcia completed his third novel, his agent forwarded the manuscript, titled Matchstick Men, to Griffin and Bailey thinking that there may be a chance for a cinematic collaboration. It turns out that the agent was right; Griffin and Bailey were indeed interested.

So Griffin, along with his brother Nicholas, started assembling a screen adaptation. Meanwhile, news of the project had reached Robert Zemeckis’ ImageMovers Productions, and they expressed interest in joining the production.  With Zemeckis now involved, and his team of Jack Rapke and Steve Starkey acting as producers, all that Matchstick Men needed was a director.  Rapke, who had spent the better part of the last twenty years working as a talent agent, was at one time the representative of the great Ridley Scott. Hoping to work with his former client in a more creative endeavor, Rapke forwarded the material to him.

Having recently worked on the massive productions of Gladiator and Black Hawk Down, and soon to tackle the equally massive Tripoli and Kingdom of Heaven, Scott was hoping to fill the six month gap in his schedule with a smaller, more intimate picture.  Never one to repeat himself, he was also looking for something new and interesting to add to his filmography. Matchstick Men seemed to fit his needs perfectly (incidentally, production on Tripoli would hit a snag and Scott would eventually have to leave the film).

Matchstick Men was indeed a breath of fresh air, not only to the director, but to the fans that have been following his career.  Scott’s direction seems to almost revel in the reduced pressure of a lower budget film (lower is of course relative). The film’s quickly paced story and offbeat comedy come together beautifully, making the film an absolute treat to watch.

Budget: $???

Total US Gross: $36,873,198

Genre: Crime

Runtime: 116 Minutes

US Release Date: 9/12/03

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Awards: none

Tagline: Lie Cheat Steal Rinse Repeat

Quote: “She said you were a bad guy.  You don't seem like a bad guy.”