Film

The Match King

Name: The Match King
Genre: Drama
Released: 1932
Cast: Warren William, Lili Damita, Glenda Farrell, Juliette Compton, Claire Dodd

A Depression-era scrambler claws his way from Chicago janitor to international match mogul through pure hustle and deception. This 1932 film moves with the kinetic energy of a con man's rise, charting how ambition without ethics creates the illusion of empire. For anyone fascinated by how charisma and lies can temporarily engineer power.

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Citizen Kane1941

The definitive portrait of a self-made man's ascent and corruption. Kane's ruthless manipulation and hunger for control mirror Kroll's trajectory, but with far greater cinematic ambition and formal innovation.

But Slow by modern standards, heavily symbolic, and demands active attention rather than entertainment. The narrative jumps in time and perspective.

There Will Be Blood2007

Daniel Day-Lewis is mesmerising as an oilman whose charisma masks profound emptiness. The film captures the same fascination with men who build empires through sheer force of will and moral compromise.

But Deliberately paced and austere. Long stretches contain almost no dialogue. The ending alienates many viewers.

The Wolf of Wall Street2013

A more recent con-man epic with infectious energy. DiCaprio's Jordan Belfort shares Kroll's gift for manipulating people and markets, and the film doesn't judge so much as document the intoxication of the climb.

But Cartoonishly glossy at times. Some find the depiction of excess celebratory rather than cautionary. Nearly three hours long.

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Something you would not have found on your own.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy2011

Both are about men who build influence by understanding how to manipulate perception and exploit the gaps between image and reality. The machinery of power fascinates both.

A Cold War spy film where power operates through information, rumour, and careful positioning rather than direct force. Le Carré's world runs on the same logic as Kroll's—what people believe matters more than what's true.

But Deliberately cryptic and slow. Plot is buried under layers of espionage jargon. If you need clarity, this will frustrate you.

Raging Bull1980

Scorsese's portrait of a man whose talent and ambition are inseparable from violence and self-destruction. Like Kroll, Jake LaMotta builds something, but the cost becomes increasingly visible.

But Shot in black and white. Brutal and repetitive in places. Not a comfortable film—it grinds rather than flows.

Glengarry Glen Ross1992

A masterclass in manipulation and salesmanship. Every scene is a con, every line a calculated move. The film understands the psychology of men driven by status and greed with surgical precision.

But Claustrophobic and relentless. Almost entirely male, almost entirely about men bullying other men. Can feel exhausting rather than entertaining.

A Prophet2009

A French prison drama about a young man who learns to manipulate his environment and rise through cunning rather than strength. The parallel ascent structure echoes Kroll's methodical climb.

But Subtitled. Prison films are not for everyone. Slower than you might expect, with long stretches of observation over action.

The Great Man1956

A lesser-known gem about a radio mogul's carefully constructed public image versus private reality. Explores how myths are manufactured around ambitious men, directly relevant to Kroll's self-mythology.

But Black and white, modest in scale, hard to find. The satire is gentle rather than pointed, which dulls impact.

The Killing1956

Kubrick's debut about criminals orchestrating a perfect heist. The same attention to detail and planning that drives Kroll—meticulous schemes built on reading other people.

But Early Kubrick can feel mannered. The narrative structure loops deliberately, which confuses some viewers. B-movie sensibility.

Scarface1983

A cocaine dealer's rise and fall, with the same fever-dream momentum as a con man's arc. Both films chart how unchecked ambition becomes its own destruction.

But Extremely violent and profane. Tony Montana's final act collapse is brutal and unpleasant. The film can feel one-note about excess.

The Stranger1946

Both are about charismatic men whose entire existence rests on a fabricated identity. The moment it cracks is the moment everything collapses. The cost of the lie drives the narrative.

Orson Welles' underrated film noir about a Nazi hiding in small-town America by constructing a false identity. The central tension—maintaining a lie under mounting pressure—is the emotional core of both films.

But The first half is slow. Welles' German villain doesn't have the charm of Kroll, which makes the deception less seductive. Plot feels like a B-movie despite Welles' involvement.

The Ascent1977

An inversion rather than a parallel: where Kroll climbs toward wealth and power, these men climb toward spiritual clarity. Both films ask what ambition costs, but Tarkovsky suggests the answer is everything that matters.

Tarkovsky's philosophical film about two Soviet partisans climbing a mountain, pursued by Nazis. On its surface, nothing like Kroll—but it's about ambition, sacrifice, and the distance between what we think we're climbing toward and what actually matters.

But Slow cinema at its most demanding. Deliberately theological and abstract. If you need plot momentum, this is the opposite of that. Subtitled.