Matchstick Men

AMG Review of Matchstick Men

James Christopher Monger
All Music Guide

Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer delivers an effervescent drink of a score for the Warner Bros. heist flick Matchstick Men. Taking a cue from Amelie scribe Yann Tiersen, Zimmer gives the melody to the accordion, creating a playful sense of place for Nicholas Cage's obsessive-compulsive con man to twitch and fidget in. The main theme sounds like a lounge version of Ennio Morricone's Once Upon a Time in the West score, replete with whistling and odd percussion, and the frantic "Tuna Fish and Cigarettes pulses with echno wizardry. Zimmer completes his portion of the work with the lush "Banker's Waltz," a gorgeous old-style Hollywood orchestral piece that shimmers with Tinsel Town excess. Also included are choice selections from Bobby Darin, George Formby, Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, and garage sale vinyl king Mantovani & His Orchestra.