For a deeply satisfying movie that hinges on a career-defining performance from one of modern cinema’s most fascinating stars, Ridley Scott’s “Matchstick Men” has a strange way of falling through the cracks. Released to a tepid response in September 2003, this slippery tale of a con artist with a guilty conscience was too much of a tweener to find the audience it deserved, and — much like its twitchy protagonist — was also conflicted about swindling people out of their money. For a major Hollywood film that climaxes with a bare-assed Nicolas Cage running around an L.A. parking garage, its “B” Cinemascore is borderline miraculous.

Even now, 15 years to the month since its debut, “Matchstick Men” lurks in the…

I regret not watching matchstick men before today. This one film in itself is proof that Nic Cage can act and what he is been doing or the directors have been doing all through his life conning him into doing stupid roles except for maybe a few like this one, Lord of War, Leaving Las Vegas and Adaptation.

Any film which has a character with ocd gives a considerable amount of intrigue and likeability. Nic Cage here suffers from a multitude of phobias and he is so believable in his mannerisms. On a whole he just perfectly exectued his role in this film. He attracted so much affection from me even more than Rockwell in this(and I thought he was…

Do people still think Nicolas Cage is the worst actor alive?

Personally, I'm hoping that we as a society can stop directing hate towards Cage's acting skills and instead send it to his choice in roles. There's no reason for the man who starred in Adaptation to be the face of the Ghost Rider franchise. I'm getting off-topic. Let's talk about Matchstick Men.

If someone were to do a Top 5 list for Cage, Matchstick Men would definitely be in it. He plays Roy, a con man (oh excuse me, "con artist") suffering from a multitude of phobias. He's successful at what he does, amassing over a million dollars. Cage's performance is great. He knows just when to include that…

12 Months in the Cage!

November Entry: “Matchstick Men”

When it comes to movies about con-artists and swindlers, the only other one I can think I’ve seen is “Focus”, which was here or there depending on my mood. “Matchstick Men”, on the other hand, is quite enjoyable and engrossing throughout, thanks in part to its unpredictability and deceptive outcomes. Nic Cage shines as a con-artist suffering from multiple phobias and tics and alongside him for the con jobs is the ever reliable Sam Rockwell as his protege/partner. Coming close in greatness is Alison Lohman, putting a spell not only on Cage’s character but also the audience as well. Ridley Scott directs this competently so and adds some extra style to…

Getting back to the Ridley Scott series, with his follow-up to the massive critical and commercial successes of blockbuster war movies Gladiator and Black Hawk Down...Matchstick Men.

An odd, offbeat film about a con artist with OCD connecting with the daughter he never knew he had, Matchstick Men is one of those movies that probably only gets made with the help of someone with enough cache like Ridley (and I don't know that even he could get it made in today's industry). It feels out-of-time, an idiosyncratic throwback to a New Hollywood aesthetic, filmed in this harsh, saturated (and frankly, ugly) modern lighting. Cage is a natural fit for the lead character, and his performance pretty much carries the film.…