Roy (Nicolas Cage) has some problems. He suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic attacks, and gets totally hysterical when people leave doors open, don't take off their shoes, get mud on his carpet, etc. He takes pills for the many problems, but he accidentally knocked them down the garbage disposal and is a big frantic mess now, complete with nervous ticks of the face and exclamations of "mmm..." at the end of his sentences.

That's a problem that severely interferes with his job as a con artist. He's not a con man, he's not a rip-off man, he's a con artist, with added emphasis on the "artist" part. He views his job as a beauty, a sort of majestic way of expressing himself, but not really, that's a lie, it's just something that makes him sleep better at night.

He hates his job because it makes him feel dirty. It's not fun ripping off old people or fat people, but he is a high school drop out, how else can he get a decent paying job?

His partner, Frank Mercer (Sam Rockwell),is a bit more at ease than Roy. He doesn't seem to mind his job all that much. Roy, on the other hand, is turning into a complete nut, and after going to a recommended psychiatrist, he musters up the courage to confront his 14-year-old daughter, Angela (Alison Lohman),who is eager to escape her controlling mother and check out her long-lost big pop.

The film has a lot of different stories going on -- the worry-wart who learns to put aside his nervous ticks, the long-lost father who reunites with his daughter, and the con artist who tries to give it up for a normal life. They all succeed as a story, but the film's only flaw is its wandering, which goes on far too long.

Who cares (and I mean that as a statement, not a question). The film is one of the great entertainments of the year. It has twists, turns, and a big streak of enjoyability running through it.

Nicolas Cage is on a winning streak. First 2002's Oscar-winning "Adaptation," now this (rumored to be entered into the Oscar race for 2004). Who would'a thunk it?

Sam Rockwell ("Confessions of a Dangerous Mind") continues to impress, while Alison Lohman (a 20-something actress playing a teenager) shines and convincingly portrays exactly what the character needs.

Ridley Scott ("Alien"),the infamous British director, uses some great camera techniques here -- filmed in a blue shade with lots of different camera flashes, he subtly forces the audience into Roy's head, especially during sequences when Roy is having little breakdowns and the people and objects around him start moving at warp-speed.

I'll admit that I'm a big fan of con man movies because I find them amusing. But "Matchstick Men" is not really a con man movie -- it's a movie about a con man who has to cope with his job and private life. And a movie about a con man who finds he has a daughter. And a con man who gets conned. It's all enjoyable, and though the film is long, I never felt very bored by it at all -- it sustained my interest throughout its running time. That's rarer and rarer nowadays.

Roy Waller (Nicolas Cage) is a con man in Los Angeles with partner Frank Mercer (Sam Rockwell). They sell over the phone and then even con them in person. Roy suffers from OCD about cleanliness. He suffers a panic attack and his psychiatrist Dr. Harris Klein (Bruce Altman) ask about his ex-wife Heather (Melora Walters). She was pregnant at the time of their divorce fourteen years ago. He contacts his daughter Angela (Alison Lohman) and he's rejuvenated. Roy agrees to work with Frank on a long con against businessman Chuck Frechette (Bruce McGill).

It's a great con movie. Nicolas Cage's jittery performance is quite effective. Alison is terrific. She makes Cage's performance more than just weird mannerisms. They develop a great father daughter relationship. It was a bit of a surprise that she was in her 20s in real life. Although I didn't think she was that old, maybe that was part of the reason that I did foresee the final twist which detracts from the shock. There's something a little off with her. Sam Rockwell can't be overlooked. He's also terrific.

We have become so inured to the twists an turns of these types of movies, that for many viewers, we watch less of the movie and spend our time trying to anticipate the ending. One its own, this is a very good project. We have a man who has comes to realize how empty his life is. He has been conning for so long that he has lost his soul. Enter the daughter. This leads to a complex heist that involves layer after layer of enterprise. Mixed in with that is what he sees as a relationship, something to make the future better. If one looks at the cruelty of this whole thing, it becomes a very sad movie. That doesn't matter. It's still very moving, whatever the ultimate purpose. Cage is such a dominant figure on the screen. I have enjoyed almost every movie in which I've seen him. This was no exception. He has that demure look, that soft edge no matter how crooked the character he plays, and we end up pretty much loving him. He's one of those "I'd like to give him a hug" kind of guys. The plot dances around with close calls and challenges, each overcome along the way. Then, of course, we have the concluding scene. It makes you wonder if given another ten minutes, it may have turned again.