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Matchstick Men (Widescreen Edition) | Year: 2003 Classification: Comedy Directed: - Ridley Scott Actors/Actresses: - Nicolas Cage - Sam Rockwell - Alison Lohman Nicolas Cage does it again I'll admit it, I'm a huge fan of Nicolas Cage so there are times when my opinion is biased towards his films. However, I can safely say that Matchstick Men is a winner as a movie. A sterling performance is given by Sam Rockwell who always seems to have an amazing presence on the big screen, but the award goes to Nicolas Cage who's portrayal of a con-man with more phobia's than you can poke a stick at, delivers an incredible performance.<BR>The movie plot seems straight forward at first, small-time con men taking small-time people for a ride, until the opportunity for a big win comes along. The twist at the end however caught me completely by surprise and turned a great film into a supurb film. The cast was well-chosen and all played their roles with enthusiasm and reality.<BR>I can't wait for this movie to be released on DVD so I can sit down and enjoy it all over again. I believe also, that knowing the ending of the film won't spoil the experience at all, as the entire movie is a completely enjoyable experience.<BR>I thoroughly recommend it! A Must See As one of the best actors of our time Nicolas Cage may have increased his already huge star power with his performance as Roy the "Con Artist" in Matchstick Men. As a divorced con man who left his pregnant wife, Cage gives an unbelievably believable peformance of a struggling soul with a guilty conscience. Facial tics, stuttering, and strange noises when expressing himself through words are executed with frightening realism by Cage as someone tormented by an obsessive compulsive disorder. Playing Roy's foil and partner in crime is Frank played by Sam Rockwell, who turns in a great, if not equal performance. Roy's penchant for cleanliness is challenged by Frank's slovenly behavior and shoot from the hip attitude. This relationship works well as Frank portrays the rough around the edges protege of Roy the mentor. Angela(Allyson Lohman) is Roy's 14-yr. old daughter that he has never known. Until now. In the middle of the biggest score of Roy's life, Angela shows up and begins to pull Roy out of the funk that began 14 years ago. Connecting on a criminal level, son and daughter forge a common bond that is engaging and enjoyable to watch. Cage's obsessive compulsive behavior seems to lessen each time he shares a pizza with Lohman. These characters are truly flawed and represent the human condition in all of its tragic imperfections perfectly. In the end we all may have do something emotionally upsetting to make ends meet in a world revolving around money. With equal amounts of comedy, drama, and suspense; Matchstick Men is a movie that truly has purpose. Discovering the purpose makes for one of the best surprise endings , as well as movies, of the year. Smells like gum I'm going to say this movie did not keep my interest. It was too slow paced, but the movie did have some interesting scenes, but then return to slow Ville again. I did not consider this movie a comedy, even though there were some scenes that were humorous. I considered the movie more of a drama. I thought Sam Rockwell's character was not as developed as it could have been. You knew he was a con artist, you knew he "acted" concerned for Roy's character, but that's all. Nicholas Cage plays Roy, an obsessive compulsive con artist who teams up with his Partner Fran (Sam Rockwell) to con people out of their money. They mostly go after old people who are so naïve they pretty much GIVE their money without asking any questions. Roy can't stand being outdoors and can't stand unorganized dirty rooms as he makes people take off their shoes before entering his house. He has problems keeping the pills that help him deal with his disorders. When he does not take those pills, his ticks, and behavior gets even worse. There is a scene in the movie after he discovers he does not have his pills he cleans his apartment for what seems like hours on end from top to bottom. He cleans every square inch, and even uses a toothbrush to clean small areas that some people would not even bother cleansing. Roy discovers he has a 14 year old daughter named Angela from a relationship he ended years before. When he ended this relationship she the woman was pregnant with his child. Angela wants to get to know her father. They begin to form a relationship that starts off awkward, but eventually turns affectionate. Angela begs her father to teach her how to con, and he agrees. Yet after he shows her the ropes he makes her return the money. Okay nice turn, but again hypocritical being he never returned money to any of the elderly people he conned. One con goes horribly wrong, and their lives are threatened by a con they tried to bilk. An interesting twist at the end turns everything around and things which appear to be true, suddenly are not true after all. Before the movie ends the con gets conned, and he tries to rebuild his life. The movie had potential, but it just loses in parts before it builds up again. Nicholas having germphobia and agoraphobia was an interesting touch. I thought watching him be compulsive would be annoying, but it was very intriguing. Sheila Kelley's character, the grocery check-out clerk, had such a limited role she might as well not have been there. I thought Alison Lohman played her role well. She had me convinced she was a young 14 year old teenager with her youthful appearance. The movie is not bad, I just did not like the slow pace of the movie. Buy Matchstick Men at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  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