Daddy's got a brand new bag

Matchstick Men is a movie that not everyone will enjoy, but if you like it, you'll love it. Dry, wry and dead-on funny, Ridley Scott's new film is a slippery little gem of a con artist movie.\nThe plot centers on a con man, Roy (Cage), who is a big ball of tics and clean-freak compulsions. Roy has a partner, the delightfully insensitive and completely unscrupulous Frank. Roy runs out of his medication, so he goes to see a psychiatrist. The doctor gives him new medication, and they begin delving into his past. The two begin discussing his ex-wife and the possibility of his having children. \nIn the turns of things, Roy discovers that he has a 14-year-old daughter. Roy meets his daughter, Angela, and she shows up at his door after a fight with her mother. Angela soon discovers that her father is indeed not an antiques dealer, but rather a con man -- or, as he corrects her, a con artist, a "matchstick man." She's soon begging him to teach her something -- anything, and they discover that she has a remarkable knack for the job. \nDon't let the heartwarming lead-up fool you, though. These men are criminals, and it does well to remember that. But as Roy justifies it, he doesn't take peoples' money -- they give it to him. The hardcore twist at the end will catch you by surprise if you let it. \nThe acting is marvelous. Sam Rockwell is deliciously slimy, Nicolas Cage is at his neurotic, chain-smoking best and Alison Lohman delivers an adorable performance. Is this girl really 23? She drips adolescent angst and bubbly immaturity and still somehow makes her character amazingly lovable. Nic Cage is fabulously twitchy and really conveys the void that his newfound daughter fills. There is one scene in which Cage is riotously funny and still completely unhinged -- he talks about considering suicide but would be worried that it would mess up his carpet. \nIf it's the acting that makes this movie good, it's the little things that make it great. The camera work gets out of control -- when Roy is having a panic attack, you're having it right along with him. \nThe music is also a particularly nice touch: a lot of Frank Sinatra and plenty of other nifty little '40s and '50s tunes. \nMatchstick Men opens tomorrow, and while it won't hit with a huge force, it'll delight those who do go see it.