“Matchstick Men” (Warner Brothers)
Nicholas Cage is in fine acting form in his new movie “Matchstick Men.” This Ridley Scott film gives him able support with the addition of Sam Rockwell and Alison Lohman to the cast. These three make the story of con men and the people they love a delightful entertainment piece full of tricks and turns.
Roy (Cage) is a gifted grifter. He is the master of the con and the guru of the scam. But he has his problems. He is so phobic and full of tics and twitches that he can barely stand to exist. He compulsively opens his door three times before he can go out, and the thoughts of direct sunlight send him into bouts of dizziness.
He finally goes to a psychiatrist (Bruce Altman) who tries to help him get over his phobias. He also agrees to help him find his long lost daughter Angela (Lohman). Once Roy and Angela meet, things do change.
The movie then takes on “Paper Moon” aspects as Roy introduces his daughter to the art of the con. Angela is an avid student and soon is developing skills of her own. But when Roy gets her involved in a major con scheme with a potential patsy (Bruce McGill) things get tense.
The movie is rated PG-13 for profanity and violence.
Cage is a gifted actor and his portrayal of Roy is a complete one. His performance does suffer though when compared to Tony Shalhoub’s masterful performance as “Monk” on the USA Network. Still it is Cage’s right on portrayal of the con artists that makes this role shine. He is glib and smooth, as a con man should be.
Rockwell is a solid actor also. He makes Frank an able partner in crime to Roy. He manages to convey a brazen con artist mixed with a softie when it comes to Roy’s problems.
Even with Cage and Rockwell being as good as they are it is Lohman who steals the show. This twenty-something year old actress manages to make her role as a fourteen-year-old girl totally believable. She moves, acts and looks like a teen-ager and that is essential for the enjoyment of the film.
With so many movies having been made about cons and the twists they can take, the outcome of this film is not a total surprise. But it is a movie that provides us with a warm-hearted ending to a story that could have had its twists and then faded away.
I scored “Matchstick Men” a flammable 6 out of 10.
