User Reviews

A rather surprising turn for Ridley Scott there - probably the "smallest" film he's ever done, which harks back to Thelma And Louise than to anything else he's done in recent years (Gladiator, G.I Jane, Black Hawk Down, and back to Alien and Blade Runner). We have a very personal, up-close light drama here. Con artist movies have been swarming the theaters lately, but Matchstick Men is far more intelligent and more surprising, not to mention well-acted, written and directed, than Supercast films Heist and The Score. Nicolas Cage, after several years of B-action movies (Gone In 60 Seconds, 8 mm, The Rock, Face/Off...) makes a welcome return to what he does best - disturbed, neurotic, sensitive individuals (a comeback that got off to a good start on the schizophrenic Adaptation) - and delivers an Oscar nomination-worthy performance as con artist Roy Waller. Roy discovers a long-lost daughter, played brilliantly by Alison Lohman - also Oscar material. The relationship between the two is well crafted, and the story wonderfully written. Sam Rockwell also makes a fine contribution as Roy's partner.

Elements of the plot may owe much to many other films - The Sting, perhaps Jacky Brown, and there's a bit of Leon (AKA The Professional) in Roy's relationship with his daughter, trying to balance a life of crime with a newfound family, and Lohman's performance is no less charming than that of Natalie Portman on that memorable classic. Worthy of praise is Ridley's directing, which proves he can make a small human theater piece as well as grandiose historical epics and sci-fi odysseys. The editing is wonderful, well visualizing Roy's condition and giving the movie an apt atmosphere. Overall, Matchstick Men is one of the freshest films of the year, and a very enjoyable watch.

Anyone who thinks director Ridley Scott doesn't have a gentler side (after all, GLADIATOR, HANNIBAL, and BLACK HAWK DOWN are not exactly 'touchy-feely' movies) may be in for a surprise with his latest, MATCHSTICK MEN. The story of extremely neurotic but brilliant con man Nicolas Cage ("I'm not a criminal," he explains to his shrink, "Criminals hurt people; I don't..."), discovering a daughter he never knew he had (Alison Lohman, of WHITE OLEANDER), on the eve of a big 'Sting', offers as much emphasis on his acceptance of his new parental responsibilities as on the caper he and his partner (the always watchable Sam Rockwell) are pulling off. Cage plays the role brilliantly, making his quirky character sympathetic, and Scott proves again why he is one of Hollywood's premier directors.

The success of a film like this depends on the chemistry between the leads, and Cage and Lohman are terrific together. The young actress manages to be 'sweet' without being 'innocent', and the tentative steps she and Cage take to understand each other are both believable, and touching. In one scene, he attempts to prove to her that he can cook by preparing a spaghetti dinner...after one bite, the scene shifts to the arrival of the Domino's delivery boy!

Ultimately, however, MATCHSTICK MEN is a tale of 'The Con', and Cage and Rockwell's 'Sting' against 'fat cat' Bruce McGill, while appearing deceptively simple, has a series of twists and turns, leading to a climax that is both stunning and unexpected. This is the kind of movie that will have you putting pieces together, LONG after it ends.

It is an intriguing and rewarding film, and shouldn't be missed!

Well done. The real highlight is the twist at the end, where his supposedly loyal friend turns out to be a fraud. So far, so funny. Only when you take a closer look you notice how absurd the whole thing is. To stage something like this would be virtually impossible, there would simply be too many imponderables and unpredictabilities.

Original:

Gut gemacht. Der eigentliche Clou ist die Wendung am Ende, wo sich sein vermeintlich loyaler Kumpel-Partner als Betrüger herausstellt. So weit, so witzig. Nur, bei genauerem Hinsehen fällt auf, wie abwegig das ganze ist. So etwas zu inszenieren, wäre quasi unmöglich, es gäbe einfach zu viele Unwägbarkeiten und Unvorhersehbarkeiten.

I think for most viewers, you'll either like this flick or hate it. I'm still trying to resolve my feeling over the way the con played out against Roy Waller by the time it was all over. That's not to say I'm expressing sympathy for Nicolas Cage's character, he was a serial extortionist and con man who deserved what he got, but I felt huge betrayal on the part of his partner Frank Mercer (Sam Rockwell), and just about as much for the phony 'daughter' Angela (Alison Lohman). You really have to be pathological to do what those two did to Waller, not to mention the psychiatrist Dr. Klein (Bruce Altman). Now that I think about it, maybe he wasn't even a psychiatrist at all, and just another con artist with a good line analyzing Roy Waller. But then the picture took it a step further with a contrived ending in which Waller gets to confront Angela a year later. Like he was really going to go straight and sell carpeting for a living, yeah right. The dynamic between himself and Angela at that point was entirely not credible. So if the intent of the film makers was to con the viewer, I guess it worked, because I felt like I was bilked out of a million dollars myself, not to mention a couple of hours viewing time.

Nicolas Cage's acting was okay - playing a Con Man with a conscience and a rather nasty obsessive compulsive disorder. But the rest of the cast irked me especially Sam Rockwell as Cage's partner (and apparently, only friend) and Alison Lohman as Cage's long lost daughter who cries crocodile tears every ten minutes! The "twist" was clichéd and predictable (the antagonist is the protagonist's best friend in far, far too many films). It also left me feeling hollow and cheated. I thought this movie would give me hope about family unity, but it's moral seemed to be - people who steal deserve to be stolen from by people who steal. Still, our Nic ends up on the right side of the picket fences at the end - selling carpet and living the fruitful, Christian life with Mrs. Jo Bloggs from the grocery store.

On the whole, it's a load of tripe! 3/10

If you've seen a lot of movies, crime or con movies in particular, you won't be surprised when you watch Matchstick Men directed by Ridley Scott. Though it is predictable, it still is entertaining and well made movie, that fits in well among the stories of its genre.

Roy (Nicolas Cage) and Frank (Sam Rockwell) are two con men, who of course con money from people. Roy agrees to do a last big con with Frank, but soon his life gets more complicated, as if his neuroses weren't enough, when he finds out, that he has a 14-years old daughter Angela (Allison Lohman), who want's be a part of his life.

Matchsticke Men is well directed movie and acted movie, which saves a lot. As I said, there's not much of originality in the plot, but it does hold together rather well. And it even has a happy ending, which was quite nice, as Roy actually is quite a likable character.

If there was any actor born to play a character with an obsessive-compulsive disorder, that would be Nicolas Cage. Annoyingly self-absorbed; prone to twitchy, quirky behavior; yet capable of making it all somehow -- sometimes -- endearing, Cage already makes all of his characters seem just a tad disturbed. So MATCHSTICK MEN has to be given credit for that; it has a strong, convincing and compelling performance at its center, which is essential to any film that wishes to draw you in and move you. It is, however, also essential to any con job that hopes to draw you in and play you. But to paraphrase the film's philosophy, it doesn't matter how much it wants to take from you, but how much you are willing to give. And MATCHSTICK MEN expects you to give a lot -- and give up a lot.

First and foremost it expects you to give up your willingness to question its fundamental logic. Cage plays Roy Waller, who we quickly learn is a highly successful con artist and who, when not on his meds, is prone to obsessive-compulsive behavior. Though his condition is generally benign -- fear of touching doorknobs, cleanliness issues, agoraphobia, etc. -- it is enough to make his demeanor at least a bit suspect. That would seem to be a problem if the main point of your profession is to instill confidence and make complete strangers trust you with vast sums of their money. That may be why he took on a protégé, Frank, played by Sam Rockwell, who apparently sets up many of the scams that Roy then supervises. They are reasonably successful crooks, apparently specializing in telemarketing scams that allow them to steal the identities of innocent homeowners. They are scummy people, but at least Roy confesses to a little bit of guilt, which is possibly the source of his progressing neurotic behavior, and the only reason we could possibly have for being sympathetic to him.

Enter into the story 14-year-old Angela (Alison Lohman); through a series of plot twists, Roy is united with an offspring he never knew existed and the wild-child free spirit quickly entangles herself in Roy's life of crime. The resulting hodge-podge ends up being a little bit of THE GRIFTERS merged with PAPER MOON, with elements of AS GOOD AS IT GETS, THE STING, THE CONVERSATION and any of a dozen soapy Lifetime TV movies mixed in. If you ignore a fundamental rule -- Never trust a film about con men to play it straight! -- then you might be sucked into the story and be fooled by the way the story tries to juggle plot lines and shifts in mood. But the unlikely attempt to merge a bittersweet family drama with the mechanics of a Big Con swindle caper should be a tip off that all is not as it seems. There are so many unlikely and contrived moments in the film, that it is all but impossible to not jump ahead in the story and see just who is conning who. Why is Roy's psychiatrist just a little too willing to breach his ethics? Why don't we ever meet Angela's mother? How come Roy's secret stash of money is so easy for Angela to find and why is she so instantly accepting of Roy's profession? The trick of a good con is in the cleverness of its details and its ability to not draw attention to them; MATCHSTICK MEN suffers from too many "that's odd!" moments which red flag the not-so surprising twist at the end.

But if MATCHSTICK MEN leaves you feeling cheated, it is not because of the criminal scam that Roy is involved in, but rather in the emotional scam the film tries to pull on the audience. The film does make us care about the relationship between Roy and Angela, and that is where it plays us for chumps. If -- when -- someone is rooked out of their money and they get comeuppance for their wicked ways, it is to be expected; its all good sport for the viewer. But when a film builds its emotional center on a lie, we become the mark, not just innocent bystanders. Instead of being delighted at the film's twist ending, one might feel justifiably betrayed, but not in a sporting way. The film's big twist provides a sobering jolt, but it is almost immediately rendered powerless when the film tries to twist the twist with a curiously, inappropriately upbeat and unbelievably forced happy ending. To paraphrase the title of another famous movie, it tries to give us suckers an even break. It doesn't work at all. Its carefully, if obviously crafted story reveals itself to be a cruel charade, before saying, gee whiz, we really didn't mean it. Worse than conning us, the film tries to con itself into believing its cynicism is sensitivity and its brass heart is made of gold.

In 'Matchstick Men,' Nicholas Cage plays a con man so obsessive/compulsive in nature that he makes Jack Nicholson in 'As Good as it Gets' look like Oscar Madison in comparison. Fastidious to the core, Roy Waller freaks out at the first sign of dust, dirt or bacteria invading his personal environment, so much so that he keeps his place not merely immaculate but almost hermetically sealed off from the outside world. Somehow, even with this crippling neurosis plaguing his every waking moment, Roy has managed to eke out a pretty decent living as a shyster, ripping off gullible common folk with his partner, Frank, played wonderfully by the gifted Sam Rockwell.

One day, into Roy's life strolls Angela, the 14-year old daughter he never knew he had. Suddenly, Roy is confronted with the need to reexamine both his life and his priorities and to make some crucial decisions about just how this strange young person should fit into the overall scheme of his existence.

Written by Nicholas and Ted Griffin and directed by Ridley Scott, 'Matchstick Men' provides a stylish, clever and witty psychological riff on the old scam artist scenario, featuring fine performances by Cage, Rockwell and Alison Lohman, as well as an intriguing visual style by Scott, cameraman John Mathieson and editor Dody Dorn which often approximates Roy's mental and emotional state. Cage once again indulges in those nervous tics that seem to have become his actor's stock-in-trade of late, but he does manage to tamp them down long enough to allow a real character of flesh-and-blood to shine through the potentially distracting surface. Alison Lohman, so brilliant in 'White Oleander' last year, makes Angela into a multi-faceted teenager who runs the gamut from immensely likable to slightly irritating – just about right for a character her age. Rockwell practically steals the show as Frank, the con man to the core who may be a bit better at his job than even Roy himself realizes. Hans Zimmer has provided a humdinger of a musical score, one reminiscent of some of Nina Rota's work for Fellini back in the early '60's.

'Matchstick Men' is not a perfect film; it sags in spots, doesn't dig deeply enough into its themes, and sometimes feels too clever and calculated for its own good. Still, the movie has an originality and an assurance that come when a group of old pros get together to have a good time and end up sharing that fun with their audience.

There is this notion Matchstick Men is a minor curiosity in Ridley Scott's filmography, some little comedy about a con artist bonding with his daughter... for me it's one of his best movies since the incredible starting streak (The Duellists, Alien, Blade Runner). A director with an amazing eye for visuals, Scott can shoot very pretty pictures but has no quality control when it comes to choosing scripts, with often disheartening results.

Matchstick Men, however, has a strong screenplay, with vivid characters and sharp dialogues. Cage, who can be a calamity in the wrong part (The Wicker Man), is smartly cast as a phobic weirdo, which allows him to unleash one of his amiably over-the-top performances. In the right role he can still knock it out of the park - I am thinking of a moment near the end, where his heartbroken sobs morph into a bark of hysterical laughter. Alison Lohman is perfect in a tricky role; Sam Rockwell and Bruce McGill give solid supporting turns.

8/10

it's a contrived piece of garbage forced down your throat. whoever wrote this crap didn't bother a bit to think it through. it's virtually impossible for any of this to make sense or the so-called twist in the end. this is a movie you keep asking yourself why? why doesn't this genius speak to his wife for once? were these guys psychics too? how could they even predict all of this? need for a new shrink...? a daughter...? so therefore access to his safety box? and of course the happy ending; marriage and a new life with a woman he was barely exchanging words at grocery store give me a break