Softwing Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

DipitySkillful an ambitious but ultimately ineffective debut endeavor.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Skyler Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

bryanjacobs-01667 Matchstick men is a return to form for master filmmaker Ridley Scott. Although much lower key than his other films Matchstick men is witty, finely paced and well-acted. Nicholas Cage plays a con artist whose plans to pull off a heist are interrupted when his daughter comes to stay with him. Ably supported by Sam Rockwell this is one of those great comedies that defy expectation. Go see it asap.

eric262003 After watching a film of a similar story to "Matchstick Men" called "Confidence" where I summarized that the caper can easily be ruined by giving away details too early in the film. "Matchstick Men" faces a very similar predicament as well, but can back up its intentions by going a different direction. Like many capers before, they smugly believe they're being clever to its viewers, taking us on their journeys only to end being formulaic and predictable. What makes "Matchstick Men" work is that although the con doesn't light a candle, it's still able to connect with its audience in the events proceeding up the ultimate climax. So while the con was a bust, the rest of the movie pans out splendidly.Sure the whole hustler backdrop can surely get on your nerves,plus the whole you know what you've gotten yourselves arrogance can like pluck your eyeballs out of its socket, but its the upbeat, snappy tone of the film which is quite the contrast to operatic soundtrack you hear from a Ridley Scott film. The crooning sound of Bobby Darin among others along with the vibrant dialogue from each performer, everything just runs smoothly without a care in sight. Before you know it, we're humming and tapping as we enjoy the company of our leading protagonists two thirds along the way in this nearly two hour film.It also helps that the cast seems spot on in their respective performances as Nicolas Cage was flawless in his performance as obsessive compulsive con artist Roy Waller whose neurotic demeanor upstages whatever con games he has up his sleeves. Meanwhile his sidekick Frank Mercer (Sam Rockwell) who suave laid-back personae can make you wonder if his friendship is genuine or superficial. Both performers can play these roles in their sleep and both know how to manipulate each other of their civics duties. Cage carries the heavier cargo as he battles Tourette's syndrome and sports constant nervous tics that can at times be nauseating (he also feverishly washes windows and eats tuna right out of a can), he makes it seem authentic and natural. Rockwell also plays a role we could get invested in, though he plays off more of a background character when he should be a second billing character.They're a pair of likable scoundrels and Scott guides us to their world to see how they conduct their shady dealings. They're work comes to a pause as Roy is united with his teenager daughter Angela (Alison Lohman) a prodigal waif who could easily con a person with the very best of them. She can at times be more of a liability than an asset to Roy and Frank, but as Roy starts to warm up to Angela, he starts to reconsider other avenues to make money. Lohman has that eerily resemblance of a young Geena Davis from "Thelma and Louise" and her conniving and naive ways whether intentional or not can resemble the character from "Thelma and Louise". Cage and Lohman (an adult playing a teenager by the way) share some great scenes together and their chemistry is clever and moving as opposed to being saccharine and mushy.This film would have been pure gold have it stuck to the relationship between Roy and Angela, but sadly the Big Con had to come around sooner or later and the filmmakers had this planned the whole time through. The scoundrel trifecta find their unfortunate guinea pig in the shape of Chuck Frechette (Bruce McGill) who will resort to any scheming tactics possible. It seems like the right feel at first, but then the deceptions seems too obvious and can be seen from a mile away. Once all that character development is put to the pasture, it all comes down to big, bad assassins armed with their heavy ammunition and just seems to spoil the apple cart from all the wonderful moments from the earlier scenes. It makes you wonder why didn't Scott keep a good thing coming? And then he ruins the scenes by softening up the hardened scenes which is an apology too late.And sure those non-judgmental purists can still enjoy the film as a whole and I don't blame them for it. The positives outnumbered the negatives. The tame humour and the emotional chemistry is truly a delight to the soul while the big heist climax tends to fall flat on its face, but it's still easy to forgive the flaws while marveling at the good qualities of this movie. It shows that Scott can handle lighter fare films than his more heavier themed films. "Matchstick Men" can stand alone for the unintended scenes contrary to the direction its mindset was on the whole time.

gothicus-33216 it's a contrived piece of garbage forced down your throat. whoever wrote this crap didn't bother a bit to think it through. it's virtually impossible for any of this to make sense or the so-called twist in the end. this is a movie you keep asking yourself why? why doesn't this genius speak to his wife for once? were these guys psychics too? how could they even predict all of this? need for a new shrink...? a daughter...? so therefore access to his safety box? and of course the happy ending; marriage and a new life with a woman he was barely exchanging words at grocery store give me a break

Mr-Fusion As Ridley Scott movies go, "Matchstick Men" is a small one. There aren't any replicants, gladiators or xenomorphs, but it's still a good bit of fun. Sam Rockwell's involved, so the cast is great by default, but Alison Lohman's no slouch. And Nicolas Cage wrings every laugh possible from his OCD tics. But it's a con artist movie (damn good one, too) and just when you think you've got it pegged as a sweet father/daughter story, up is suddenly down and you've been had this entire time. And it's not a cheap swindle, but one that definitely pays off in the end. The twists are well staged and the sentiment is genuine. Great movie.8/10