Upon joining his daughter in his business, Roy, a miserable con artist, suffers from emotional disorder and runs a business of scam with his partner, feels better and likes his life, but when she knows to learn their business, incidents come to challenge him.
Matchstick Men works because of the way the key players handle the material. This is the work of professionals acknowledging a good story and knowing better than to get in the way.
Ridley Scott lets us enjoy the satisfying clicks and whirrs of the well-oiled celluloid con trick, while leaving plenty of head room for Cage to twitch and fret in.
Scott tucks away his visual athletics in favour of something leisurely and quietly devastating. It's ultimately far more cunning a script than we can reveal here.
Something less than the sum of its parts, Matchstick Men is a decent film that should have been a considerably better one.
ColeSmithey.com
June 12, 2009
Nicholas Cage gives his best performance since "Leaving Los Vegas" as con man Roy Waller in this sophisticated movie about familial responsibility, self-imposed barriers and the possibilities of a well executed long con.
