New at BOP: Review: Matrix Resurrections Movie Review: Moonfall Movie Reviews: Scream The #1 Movie in America November Forecast The Many Saints of Newark October Forecast New Trivia Question All site updates Share & Save   Tweet

Matchstick Men is Ridley Scott's first film since his three hugely successful pictures of 2000 and 2001 (Gladiator, Hannibal, and Black Hawk Down). The story is about two con men, the obsessive-compulsive Roy (played by Nicolas Cage), and his protégé Frank (Sam Rockwell), whose latest scheme is jeopardized by the arrival of a daughter Roy never knew he had. The movie is based on the book of the same name by Eric Garcia, which itself only came out a few months ago with little fanfare.

The film's genre is somewhat questionable; Scott himself has been quoted as saying, "I saw it as a comedy. I don't mean fall-about-laughing comedy, but a lot of witty humor. But then I thought 'Thelma & Louise' was a comedy, too." It would appear, then, that while the story is dramatic, there is more than enough quirkiness to go around. The story was adapted for the screen by brothers Ted and Nick Griffin, so perhaps a valid comparison for this movie is the recent remake of Ocean's 11, which was also penned by the younger Ted.

Cage's daughter is played by Alison Lohman, most famous for her role in 2002's White Oleander, who, though 23, will play a 15-year-old here. The age difference should not be a problem for Lohman, however, as she played a similarly-aged character in White Oleander. One other note of interest - August is now shaping up to potentially be a very big month for Rockwell. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind was recently scheduled for a re-release one week before this film's release on August 8th. With starring roles in two films released so close together, both with seemingly similar genres, as well as so many big names attached, perhaps Rockwell will finally gain with mainstream audiences the kind of appeal he already has with critics. (Zach Kolkin/BOP)

Vital statistics for Matchstick Men Main Cast Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, Alison Lohman Supporting Cast Bruce Altman, Bruce McGill Director Ridley Scott Screenwriter Ted Griffin, Nick Griffin Distributor Warner Bros. Trailer Click Here for Trailer Official Site http://matchstickmenmovie.warnerbros.com/ Rating PG-13 Running Time 116 minutes Screen Count 2,711 Awards Awards page for Matchstick Men Talent in red has entry in The Big Picture

Comparison films for Matchstick Men
Title	Date	Opening	Adjusted Opening	Screens	PSA	Adj PSA	Total BO	Adjusted Total	Mult
Hannibal	2/9/01	58.00	61.90	3230	17958.00	18434.8	164.97	176.07	2.84
Gladiator	5/5/00	34.82	38.95	2938	11852.00	12753.5	186.61	208.76	5.36
Black Hawk Down	1/18/02	33.63	34.96	3101	10844.00	10844.0	108.58	112.89	3.17
Face/Off	6/27/97	23.39	30.72	2621	8924.00	11276.5	112.28	147.50	4.80
Windtalkers	6/14/02	14.52	15.09	2898	5010.00	5010.0	40.91	42.53	2.82
8MM	2/26/99	14.25	16.98	2370	6013.00	6865.2	36.28	43.23	2.55
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind	1/24/03	5.83	5.83	1769	3297.00	3297.0	15.94	15.94	2.65
Adaptation	1/10/03	2.64	2.64	560	4709.00	4709.0	22.50	22.50	6.04