Matchstick Men represents a pleasant change of pace for Ridley Scott. For a director known for doing films that are both large thematically and in scope, it's nice to see him tackle a film that has a simple premise which allows him to build the themes that he wants to discuss. Matchstick Men is a difficult film to categorise, as is the case for most con films. It has touches of dark comedy and pieces of crime thriller, plenty of drama without losing its quirkiness. It often plays out like a character study of a man who struggles to balance his dirty deeds with his mental issues. All of this delivered in a very free-flowing and vibrant way, much like the majority of Scott's work.At its core the film is about con man Roy Waller who suffers from serve OCD which become even worse once he loses his pills, shown in a scene that is both funny and sad where he spends a day cleaning his entire house. He then goes to see doctor who takes an interest in his life and wants to help him defeat his illness. Cage is the star centrepiece of the film. He also provides one of his best performances. In a way it is prefect casting, Cage has always been at his best playing edgy and jittery characters and here he gets a legitimate reason to act that way. His performance provides a surprising amount of sympathy as well as humour, he gets so into the character that his frequent ticks seem natural. The story develops further when it turns out Roy has a 14 year-old daughter called Angela who he decides to meet, which leads to him struggling to balance out both sides of his life. Enter Alison Lohman who is fantastic. It's hard to believe that she is playing a character ten years younger than she was at the time given how natural her performance is. She manages to capture the essence of what a character that age would be like, without detracting from the emotional weight and likability that she brings. I also think that Sam Rockwell (who I swear has never put in a subpar performance) deserves some praise for his role as Roy's confident business partner.It is tough to reveal much more about the plot without giving away pieces of information that might spoil its ending. Scott's direction is certainly a highlight, as usual with his films. It is possibly his most fluid film and he manages to convey Roy's breakdowns with his subtle use of the camera, whilst the frequent use of blue shade invokes the calmness of water which becomes something of a motif. From a visual standpoint the film reminded a lot of 'Catch Me If You Can' given its vibrancy and colour scheme. Adding to this is both the editing and the transitions which are seamlessly done. Hans Zimmer's score is also worth a mention, trading in his usually bombastic compositions for more jazzy and bass heavy pieces that fit the film perfectly.The only part of the film that left me cold was its climax and its eventual twist (which I won't reveal). For me the twist did disrupt a lot of the film's emotional and grounded aspects that had been developed excellently throughout. It brings a jolt that almost pushes you out of the film and instead of feeling that the twist transformed the film into something completely different, it simply felt like an unnecessary addition. I think the film would have been even stronger had it avoided said twist all together.Matchstick Men ends up feeling exactly like what Ridley Scott wants it to be. It's a film that blends multiple genres together and basically plays them off against the typical con man film style. It does go deeper than the story initially suggests, almost working as a psychological study of Roy and the building of his relationship with the daughter he never knew existed. On a surface level however, the film is constantly entertaining. Whether it is for the excellent acting, the charming central narrative, the tension building con or Scott's wonderful direction it doesn't really matter because all of these aspects blend with and play off of each other so well. I don't think the twist works, but it's a testament to the films strength that it isn't overly damaged by that. For me it's a film that is meant to be enjoyed on the surface, before you start to analyse what is underneath.

This might be the answer to all of Nicholas Cage's detractors who dislike his overacting and bursts of madness. He seems the perfect actor to play Roy, a conman who has a severe case of OCD. Cage adds to his portrayals a strong range of facial tics, stutters and uncontrollable bursts of emotions - sometimes matching those of his newly discovered teenage daughter. More immediately striking is the visual techniques that Ridley Scott employs to heighten his sense of paraonia and loss of control - speeding up and slowing down footage, rewinding the surrounding events, chopping up the soundtrack. When Roy goes through his usual obsessive ritual of counting the locks on his door, Ridley responds with 3 successive cuts to show how gingerly he screens the people entering his home. As he struggles to find more placebo pills on the phone, the cuts jump from side to side erratically as his anxiety builds. And when he wakes up after a nasty hit to the head, the frame is flattened and compressed to suit his POV. He and his partner Roy are smooth operators. They slip seamlessly into their roles over the phone; able to imagine and fabricate whole offices and businesses and co-workers with only their words. I am reminded of similar ability in the characters of Glengarry Glen Ross. Angela is also a great little actress, although we do not know it yet - moody, depressive, upbeat and teasing all rolled into one. The relationship is sweet beyond the long term implications of Roy's career, so naturally we begin to root for them to succeed. Roy shares this new joy of his with the targeted victim for the pigeon drop, exchanging those chuckling anecdotes that a loving father would. But we do begin to question whether he pulls it off so well because he is a veteran conman, or if it is because he is truly warming up to Angela. .Many have expressed discontentment at the rather tame ending. Perhaps they'd like Roy to unload on Angela and yell at her for conning him like hat. I think it's perfectly wrapped up; anger won't change what already happened, and he realises that he is now at peace with his ordinary life and happier than he ever was as a conman. That's about as far as the screenplay really reaches for. Besides the plot holes and conveniences that I'm sure everyone will be quick to point out, it's a bit presumptuous to simply assume that with a more stable life that his OCD would suddenly be resolved like some neat plot point. And again with the supermarket cashier, who doesn't really add anything of note except to symbolise his now happier life. But apart from all this, it's an enjoyable enough film.

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

Roy, a veteran con man, has a new protégé working with him, Frank. The duo has just planed the biggest con of their careers: selling a water filtration system, by which they ask for a price ten times higher than its true value, But unfortunately Roy has a problem that threatens his crime life, he suffers from agoraphobia and has to be addressed urgently. Shortly after starting the therapy sessions, Roy discovers he has a teenage daughter and she is interested in following his footsteps.I was surprised, i did not expect this movie to be so good, excellent performance by Nicolas Cage in what is easily one of his best films, it is difficult to talk about the film without spoiling it for you, but i didn't find it very confusing i guess you have to be very focus to understand the movie in its entirety, as for the twist i really didn't see it coming. Of Course i recommend it. My vote is 8.Title (Portugal) - "Amigos do Alheio" ("Friends Of someone else")