One wonders how much the movies are responsible for glamourizing the con man. Matchstick Men, the latest example of this entertaining genre, comes with its standard features -- smooth operators, the sizing up of prey, and proteges ready to learn from masters. Surely films emphasizing these elements had something to do with making the game of the con seem so cool, and perhaps it's ironic that this movie features a character who thinks being a "con artist" is something awesome to aspire to, and that it's so easy for us to believe she does. Where would she have learned to feel this way if it weren't for movies like Matchstick Men?

And yet this flick would rather have us see that its featured con game plays a supporting role. Matchstick Men is a character study, and, because it uses the world of schemers, it's a daring one -- daring because of its main character's relative improbability as an actual person. Not only is Roy's (Nicolas Cage) profession as a con man a stretch, it's made even more so by his extreme obsessive compulsive disorder. That this nervous man, full of ticks and mini-rituals, could even pull off a con with a straight demeanor is a bit unbelievable. Thus, it's a triumph for Cage that he not only makes Roy totally believable, he also gets us to empathize with him in the strongest of ways.

Unlike many character studies which feature a person we either know we've met in real life or felt a part of inside ourselves, this one presents us with a unique person who goes against expectations. Roy's nervousness makes him impatient and temperamental, yet he's competent in the game. And then all of this more or less falls by the wayside when the teenage daughter he never knew he had, Angela (Alison Lohman), meets him. His tendency to yell at people, like his partner Frank (Sam Rockwell), for messing up his orderly house finds itself conflicting with a very strong parental urge to just love his unexpected offspring. He finds himself giving her leeway in places he wouldn't give to anyone else. By being with him, Angela not only fills a void but also calms his OCD down. Strange, too, for she isn't some angelic kid -- she's nosy, messy, pushy, and excitable. For Roy, already a man of contradictions, the presence of Angela creates more of them.  

And so Cage's performance earns nothing but applause from me, because I bought it all the way through. His ticks and twitches are consistent, and he makes a smooth transition from cool con man to nervous compulsive guy. I suppose I should expect no less from the man I thought was the best actor of 2002 (for Adaptation) -- I think Cage was born to do sad and nervous. No doubt there will be those who claim his performance in Matchstick Men is top-heavy -- overdone, overplayed, maybe showy. But I would differ -- I marvelled at his performance.

The movie's story helps by putting him in this unique situation that exacerbates his emotions -- the joy waiting to erupt from his body, borne from experiencing something wondrous he had never known before, is instantly identifiable. And, frankly, so is much of the pain that follows. Matchstick Men suffers from a high improbability factor, but that makes Cage's performance that much stronger. In the romanticized world of the confidence game, where the man with OCD is considered the pro, Cage takes a person we likely haven't met and makes him recognizably human. Matchstick Men conned me -- I came in expecting the usual grifter's delight and left with a portrait of a soul.

(Released by Warner Bros. and rated "PG-13" for thematic elements, violence, some sexual content and language.)

Review also posted at www.windowtothemovies.com.