Movie Mondays!


A decidedly different kind of movie from Ridley Scott, Matchstick Men pairs Sam Rockwell (who was fresh off Confessions of a Dangerous Mind) with Nicholas Cage and both actors are at the top of their game. Cage’s character, who plays the senior of two grifters (the Matchstick Men of the film’s title), is stricken with OCD. Cage covers ground already staked by Tony Shaloub in TV’s Monk but, I can’t say I mind. Rockwell’s manic energy works as the perfect counter balance for Cage’s craziness and together they make for a very watchable pair. Of course, Rockwell has already worked along these lines in David Mamet’s Heist but here, he has a leading role. The movie also has the feel of another favorite, The Grifters, mainly because of the subject matter. There are enough twists and turns to keep you entertained throughout and a nice surprise at the end. Everything is shot lovingly with the kind of sensibilities you’d come to expect from a Ridley Scott film. In essence, the cinematography is wonderful. The movie is tight with strong performances all around. I went in without expectations and came away pleasantly surprised. An enjoyable movie indeed!

I’m repurposing content by taking my NetFlix reviews and posting them here on the blog. If I could figure out a way to do it, I’d post some kind of link for people to connect and make me their friend on the service. Unfortunately, it isn’t altogether clear how one would do that - so if you know a way, pass it along. In the meantime, I’ve got steady content for at least a year.