Matchstick Men

Matchstick Men (2003)

  • 82% of critics liked it
    (182 reviews)

  • 76% of users liked it
    (149,852 ratings)

Ridley Scott directs the crime comedy Matchstick Men, based on the novel of the same name by Eric Garcia. Neurotic con man Roy (Nicolas Cage) suffers from several emotional problems, including obsessive-compulsive disorder. He and his partner Frank (Sam Rockwell) swindle people out of money by… More

Play Trailer

PG-13,
Directed By
Written By
Nicholas Griffin, Ted Griffin, Eric Garcia
Genres
Drama, Comedy
In Theaters
Sep 12, 2003 Wide
On DVD
Jun 1, 2004
Warner Bros. Pictures

Critic Reviews

  • Todd McCarthy, Variety

    Matchstick Men never really casts off its cloak of artificiality and calculation; its pleasures are minor, however distracting they may be.

  • Derek Adams, Time Out

    Ridley Scott lets us enjoy the satisfying clicks and whirrs of the well-oiled celluloid con trick, while leaving plenty of head room for Cage to twitch and fret in.

  • Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

    A thoroughly absorbing hour and 56 minutes of entertainment.

  • James Berardinelli, ReelViews

    Matchstick Men is really two movies brilliantly spliced into one, each enriching the other.

  • David Edelstein, Slate

    It's a blah little exploitation picture that thinks it's a deep humanist parable.

Read all 24 critic reviews

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Emil K


    Matchstick Men is biggest nadir in Ridley Scott's filmography so far and unbearable experience to sit through. With hyper active editing and camerawork this looks more like Tony Scott film on acid. Things here are not helped by awful performance by Nicolas Cage whose acting here… More

  • Tyler C


    A complex, very involving drama, "Matchstick Men" displays fantastic lead performances from its main cast comprised of Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell and Alison Lohman, but also heightens director Ridley Scott to a whole new form of filmmaking where he shows that he can tell a… More

  • Jason R


    Surprisingly solid acting by Nic Cage in this one, matched by a character driven story with a con sprinkled in. Very light but enjoyable throughout -- a great movie for some laughs on a Friday or Saturday night.

  • Mark W


    It's hard to imagine after all his war and gladitorial carnage that the playful tone of this film belongs to director Ridley Scott. It's a nice and very welcome change of pace for him. Roy (Nicolas Cage) and Frank (Sam Rockwell) are a mismatched duo of low-level con men,… More

  • Jennifer X


    Loses a bit of its energy toward the very end, but the daughter-father chemistry but not really between Cage and Alison Lohman was pretty great, and even greater when you realize how manufactured it all is. Proof that Nicolas Cage can still do stuff, sometimes.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

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