Jake Ludington

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell
Find Matchstick Men on Amazon
The DVD of Matchstick Men caught my eye at the video store the other day because I noticed that Ridley Scott was the director. With his recent trend toward bloody movies I was surprised to see him directing what looked like a quirky comedy. Upon further inspection I became more intrigued because one of the special features is a look into Hollywood feature filmmaking called “Tricks of the Trade.” As a former film student, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see one of Hollywood’s premier directors taking viewers through the aspects of film production. The story of Matchstick men follows small-time obsessive-compulsive con artist Roy (Nicholas Cage), whose life is complicated by the newly found fact that he has a 14-year-old daughter that wants to be a part of his life. The story continues thorough a series of cons and finishes with a surprise ending. In all, the film was entertaining and a welcome change from Scott’s more recent trend in filmmaking. The “Tricks of the Trade” feature provides a general overview of the pre-production, production, and post-production processes on Matchstick Men. It includes topics such as casting, wardrobe selection, location scouting, scoring, etc. and should be a worthwhile watch for anyone remotely interested in the process of filmmaking.