I am not a Nicholas Cage fan by any stretch of the imagination. His worthwhile works, in my opinion, barely make up a handful of films: Raising Arizona, Leaving Las Vegas, (I've yet to see Family Man or Adaptation) and now Matchstick Men. Cage seems to be in his element as Roy Waller, an agoraphobic, obsessive-compulsive and chain-smoking confidence man. So much so that I'm starting to wonder how much acting was actually involved on Cage's part.
An unlikely master at the small time con, Roy has a considerable fear of helplessness in certain situations which manifests itself in various tics and scrubbing the fibers of his carpet. His partner and protege, Frank Mercer (Sam Rockwell), is the perfect contrast in this odd couple-esque dramedy, and along with Roy's shrink, and newly acquainted 14 year-old daughter threatens to turn Roy's world inside out- phobias and all.
Some will see the drama-comedy labeling and write this movie off as a "chick-flick," while others, I'm sure, will see the word con-artist and liken it to something along the lines of The Italian Job. Both would be wrong, of course, because while Matchstick Men does contain elements of both of those genres, it thankfully doesn't fit neatly into either category.
Matchstick Men is not Cage's best movie, but it is definitely one of his best, and director Ridley Scott's gritty camera work and musical selection adds a very down-to-earth and unidealistic semblance to this film.
I hate spoilers, so I won't elaborate any further. Instead, I'll simply suggest that you treat yourself to this movie.
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