Rating: 
Summary: Matchstick Men-Cage steals the show
Review: Matchstick Men, is an immensly entertaining caper comedy from director Ridley Scott. Nicholas Cage plays Roy, a con man who has obsessive-compulsive disorder works with a parter played by Sam Rockwell, also good here. Cage and Rockwell are the best here, the pros at what they do. Making cons successful each time, though when Cage loses his pills to an unforunate accident he must see a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist advises him to see the past in his life and find out more about his earlier life. Surprisingly enough a 14 year-old daugher is involved named Angela played by Alison Lohman.
Angela soons learns of her father's profession and wants to learn how to actually perform a con. From here the film takes on an even more interesting path. Even though the film as a clever premise, Cage's amazing perfomance dazzles and really keeps you fully focused. Based on the novel by Eric Garcia, "matchstick" is a slang term for con artists. Diretor Ridley Scott continues to impress with another wonderful film here aside from his other good work including Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, Alien, even Hannibal.
Matchstick Men is rated PG-13 for Thematic Elements, Violence, Some Sexual Content and Language. The violence includes a brief shooting, the profanity is rather occasional. The film does have a pleasing, moral ending and the story of a father-daughter relationship really can be gripping. Worth viewing in theares and possibly owning on video and DVD, a much more better film that you'd expect.
Rating: 
Summary: Tricks of the Trade
Review: Matchstick Men is like a good trick a friend pulls on you, at first you're upset you were fooled, but in the end you have to give it up to the ingenuity and style that made the con work so well. The script is near flawless, as is the execution by director Ridley Scott.As plot centered as the film is, it's the performances by the three lead characters that make it works so well. Nicholas Cage is once again playing a neurotic, but bright man as he did in last year's Adaptation. Cage's character Roy is a con artist, who along with his partner Frank (Sam Rockwell) trick the weak into giving them the money (or they rationalize it that way). All is good and they're ready to go for the big scam, that is until Roy's long lost 14 year old daughter Angela (Alison Lohman) enters the picture. She was the result of a failed marriage and once she enter's Roys life he decides he wants to be a dad, but his daughter decides she wants to take part in her dad's work, which she seems to come almost too natual to her. The best trick the flim plays on us is that we're never sure who the con is on and who is the one pulling the strings. If you think you've got it figured out, just wait for the spectacular and surprise ending that makes it all make sense (or maybe more confusing). The actors don't give anything away because they're into their characters so well. Cage is at his neurotic best, Rockwell fluid in his charismatic role, and new comer Lohman sweet, sharp, and deceving. Without a doubt one of the best films of the year so far.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Film of the Year!
Review: 2003 was a great year for movies. With classics such as About Schmidt, 25th Hour, Adaptation, Pirates of the Caribbean The Curse of the Black Pearl, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, and Punch Drunk Love, I was finally given the best film of the year so far. Matchstick Men. Matchstick Men stars Nicolas Cage as Roy Waller. Ridden with ticks and obsessive complusion disorder, Roy keeps his house extremly organized. Roy is a con man(con artist!) and he and his partner Frank have been doing small jobs. But Frank wants to bring Roy into a big job. To dupe a man Chuck Frechette into a currency enchange con. But Roy drops his medicine down the drain and the shortage of his ILLIGAL med's causes him to go over the edge with his problem. Frank suggests that he see a shrink and he meets Dr. Klein and we find out that Roy ws married and that he might have a 14 year old daughter. Klein calls his ex wife to find out because Roy has problems talking to her. And Roy meets his 14 year old daughter Angela. Angela like his tics and his disorder. But when he tells her what he really does for a living(he says he's an antique's broker) and she forces him to teach her the tricks of the trade. But the help in the latest con goes wrong, with surprising results. Matchstick Men was excellant. I loved everything and everyone about it. It had a plot with three story lines so if one plotline goes out there are always fallbacks. But non of the storylines ever leaves you uninterested. The first storyline is Roy's problem with his illness. The second one is Frank and Roy's con. The third is the more personal storyline about Roy and his relationship with his new found daughter. The movie drifts from comedy, to suspense, to heart. With an ending that is so unexpected you would never see it coming. There are no hints of it in the advertising for you to even guess that it is coming. Go see Matchstick Men. No question. It is no doubt the best film of the year 2003 so far and along with the lists of the best films of all time. Great acting by Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, and Loyman playing his daughter, with a great score by composer Hans Zimmer. Matchstick Men is the kind of movie that I've been waiting for and it finally came. I am patently waiting for it to come to DVD, because I'm getting on the first day. ENJOY! Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, violence, some sexual content and language.
Rating: 
Summary: A dissappointment
Review: This movie was very dissappointing, it didn't have anything that I look for in a movie. sure, the cons were funny, but it just wasn't what I expected. If you like Nicholas Cage, this is an even huger dissappointment.
Rating:
Summary: Ridley Scott and his Terrific 'Sting'...
Review: 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!
Rating:
Summary: Better than I thought it would be
Review: I was lucky, and got into a screening of Matchstick Men, and I was surprised. After being let down by the past few Ridley Scott, and Nic Cage films, I wasn't really expecting anything that great. The movie is clever though. It's not laugh out loud funny or anything; the humor is subtle. Never dull, and always keeps you watching closely. So it's not the best film of the year, but it's definitely up towards the top, especially this year, where the comedic films just haven't been up to par.
Rating: 
Summary: Smells like gum
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: These "Matches" Cause A Small Flame
Review: Although the public responded moderately to this film (it grossed a little over 36 million), the critics sure did love this Ridley Scott ("Gladiator", "Alien") con artist movie. "Matchstick Men" has Nicolas Cage playing Roy Waller, a great con artist, but one messed up person. Waller is full of neuroses among his biggest problems is the fact he suffers from a major case of OCD. "Matchstick Men" has a lot of plus sides to it. Cage, as most have already stated turns in a wonderful performance. He's alive and viberant. And it's a shame he didn't receive an Academy Award nomination, he's THAT good. Also Sam Rockwell does a nice job. The two have a lot of chemistry, both are fun to watch. As are some of the cons. Which really makes a movie like this. But, "Matchstick Men" is playing around with a couple of ideas. One deals with Roy (Cage) and Frank Mercer (Rockwell) as a couple of con artist. The other deals with Roy as a man who makes Woody Allen seem tame. And the third story has Roy coming to realize he has a 14 year old daughter, Angela (Alison Lohman). All of these outlines work well, at times, but the main problem I had with the film was the fact I was able to predict the ending. Any con moie you watch, you always know to expect a big twist at the end. That's just the way these films work. Watch Mamet films like "Heist", "The Spanish Prisoner", "House of Games" watch other movies like "The Grifter" and even the recent "Confidence". So knowing that "rule" it was easy to guess what would happen. "Matchstick Men" as I said does have its strong points but here's an odd case where a movie has a good execution but a so-so set-up. What I mean by that is the acting is fine, Scott's directing works, I liked the cinematography by John Mathieson, and at moments (mostly the first 45 minutes are so) the screenplay by Nicholas and Ted Griffin is enjoyable, but then the film becomes predictable. Or maybe it's predictable to a small number of people since film critic Roger Ebert openly said he did not see the ending coming. If he was lying or not I don't know. So should you see this movie? Yes. I've named all of the film's appealing points. "Matchstick Men" also keeps up Scott's winning record with me, "Gladiator", "Hannibal", & "Black Hawk Down". This is a fun movie to watch, just remember, don't make the same mistake I did, and think about it too much. You'll spoil it for yourself. Bottom-line: Entertaining con movie from Ridley Scott, that may not reach the level of other con films. Has strong performances from Cage, Rockwell, and Lohman. The only downfall to the movie is the predictable ending. Still worthwhile though.
Rating:
Summary: Good chemistry plus good direction
Review: Cage, Rockwell and Lohman all turn in solid performances and work well together as an ensemble. A good follow-up for Rockwell after Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind (also recommended). I look forward to seeing him in more prominent roles. Scott yet again adds a completely different movie to the rest of his portfolio (Blade Runner, Alien, Thelma & Louise, Gladiator, to name a few more noteworthy titles).
Rating:
Summary: 2 1/2 stars "lie cheat steal rinse repeat"
Review: I first must say how thoroughly disappointed I was with "Matchstick Men". It could've been great; with Ridley Scott (!!!) directing and Nicolas Cage, Same Rockwell, and Alison Lohman starring in a film about the always-entertaining topic of crime, "What could possibly go wrong?" I thought. A lot.
Ridley Scott is an amazing director, yes; he directed my favorite movie of all time, "Gladiator". However, when it comes to movies about humans plus a relatively wordy script, minus high-voltage special effects and sets, Scott seems absolutely at a loss. His clumsy, impersonal direction never lets us truly identify with the characters or their plight. And maybe that's not such a bad thing since these flimsy, paper-thin characters adapted from Eric Garcia's novel by Nicholas and Ted Griffin are hardly worth getting to know.
It is through no fault of the actors, though. Cage, who is, for me, the sole reason to watch this movie, is delightful, funny, and charming as an obsessive-compulsive con man whose relentless housecleaning is put to a rest only by his reunion with his long-lost teenage daughter (Lohman). I really enjoyed watching Cage throw himself into this role and truly become his character. Cage provides "Matchstick Men" with some much-needed humor and a bit of spark that is surprisingly lacking for a Scott-directed crime-caper that, in the end, commits the ultimate crime of being boring.
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