Matchstick Men is top five Ridley Scott. The cinematic sleight of hand on display is remarkable. So stylish in a very subtle way, never revealing its full hand until the very end. I love it when Ridley goes “small.” This tricky, funny, nasty film features a great Nicolas Cage performance in one of the ultimate conman performances to hit the big screen, with possibly career best work from the sensational Sam Rockwell as his affable partner. Alison Lohman’s young looks were perfectly used as a further layer to the tricky narrative, and Dody Dorn’s editing is razor sharp with not one wasted moment. John Mathieson shot in bold widescreen, ramping up the shutter speed during the numerous mental attacks that Cage suffers, emphasizing space and minutiae in an effort to convey anguish and uncontrollable behavior. Hans Zimmer’s jazzy, atypical score evoked an old-school feeling, and the way that Cage’s OCD ticks and mental sketch-outs were used to pepper this constantly morphing story added edge and unpredictability to one of the most overall surprising films of the last 15 years. I have watched this movie at least 10 times and I’ll continue to do so throughout the years – it’s absolutely terrific on every single level. Bruce Altman and Bruce McGill, two of my absolute favorite character actors, both provided extremely memorable support. This film should have done so much better at the box office, and despite mostly excellent reviews, it just doesn’t get talked about enough. This October will see the long awaited, at least by fans, Blu-ray, which will hopefully port over the marvelous making of documentary Tricks of the Trade, which was produced by friend of Podcasting them Softly Charles de Lauzirika. WARNING: NO SPOILERS IN THE COMMENTS!
Podcasting Them Softly 