MovieChat Forums > Matchstick Men (2003) Discussion > the main con is so bad...

the main con is so bad...

posted 11 years ago by skypawel
17 replies | jump to latest

This movie really got on my nerves. I loved the performance of Nicolas Cage - full respect. But the script? Who the hell wrote it? The plan to rob Roy is so complex (so many things can go wrong) requires so many plans and resources ( hospital scene, wtf??) And people (would you like to split one milion $ on 5?) that makes you feel cheated (conned?) after watching it.. Come on... simple plan would require just convincing Roy that Angela is his daughter and then placing gun to her head by Frank, so that Roy gives his password. Booom!! One milion split for two people instead of five (and you could still scam Angela or... shoot her). So seriously? So difficult? Am I con-artist now? The only value of this movie is brilliant performance of Cage... hugely overrated movie due to script stupidity...

[–] NelsonVanAlden 11 years ago

The script was incredibly well written and smart. Cage and Rockwell were brilliant. To bad you found the story to have holes. Every story could be picked apart I guess but this one was damn good.

[–] Giahead33 10 years ago

I completely agree, this script was very well written...

[–] willson_x 9 years ago

To the original poster, it sort of explains enough in the end to work it out--so, spoiler alert-- but Angela tells Roy that she got screwed over with her cut, she knew there was only a million in there, as did Frank, it´s entirely possible he got the others working for him for "pittance"(100,000 oughta do it), or he told them there was much more, or less, or he could have offered half and half with all of them, individually, as if they would screw everyone else over, or simply- he screwed them all over and kept as much of the million as he could, which he probablt did, as lets face it, a million isnt much for a man like Frank. So many possibilities, but it´s not Franks story, as much as he´s a great character, Roy got screwed over the most, it´s gotta be his film after all of that, so we just gotta be happy with the loose ends and unresolved issues we have, unless you want to chase Ridley Scott down a dark L.A. alley and beat it out of him...

[–] seekingallthetime 9 years ago

I completely agree, this script was never written...

[–] walkingf00l 9 years ago

The big con is really a lousy plan... it hinges on Roy never deciding at any point to contact his ex-wife. He had her number and already almost spoke to her on the phone... and that was before he even started feeling healthier. It's extremely convenient that he never calls her up to talk about their "daughter."

[–] speedy1383 8 years ago

I did wonder about that as well. He had all those issues about calling her that they correctly assumed that he wouldn't. Once he was going to be in position to call her they moved up the con.

[–] earloftea 10 years ago

I agree with the others that the script was good and the movie was enjoyable.

But, as you say a plan like that can only make sense in a movie.

Assume Roy and Frank are in the business for a long time, thus it is reasonable to believe they split it all 50/50.
Now who would risk a sting involving a girl, psychologist, "bad guy", 2 x Officers and himself just to double his money (in the best case scenario) and then have a plan for all the loose ends (unless you want to pay your entourage).

[–] Brysden 10 years ago

You're missing the point, I think... at the end of the film, when Roy and Angela meet for the last time (on screen, at least), she says "Frank screwed me out of my cut" or something along those lines.

To someone like Angela and all the others involved, splitting $1 million (if not more, we're not exactly sure how much Roy has in his safety deposit box, but let's go with the $1 million figure) 5 ways doesn't sound half bad. After all, it's her first (and only) con, and the others involved are likely small time, and also likely got screwed out of their cuts as well. So, it's basically all the money split ONE way: Frank's way.

[–] goodpatron123 9 years ago

EXACTLY. (I'm not sure how people miss this.)

[–] Ryan-lindsey1 10 years ago

You do realize it is based off of a novel right? The long con being a central part of said novel. So to say the script is bad because of that, is just stupid.

[–] drnossal 10 years ago

Just because it was in the novel doesn't mean it wasn't also lousy ending.

I agree with the OP, a sound story was shredded by a ridiculous finale that was incidentally cribbed from The Grifters which stole the concept from The Sting. It was not only hard to believe, it wasn't even original.

"You didn't come into this life just to sit around on a dugout bench, did ya?"

[–] ecvz 10 years ago

Whoever said it was $1 million? Angela asks if it's a million and just assumes that's the case. Watch it again: Roy doesn't even so much as nod when she asks, "A MILLION?" Maybe it was more.

Or Frank might have told all the people in on it that it was $20 million. Maybe it actually was more than $1 million. In any case, Frank took it all. He conned everyone.

As far as it being complex, I imagine they just had to wing it and see which direction it took them. They probably had a Plan A, B, C, D, E, etc. Maybe what we saw was Plan F, because a lot of things didn't go to plan. Or maybe none of them went to plan and they just winged it at the last second and it happened to work out. We really don't know the innerworkings of how Frank planned it out. What we saw probably was not his original plan. It most likely had to be altered quite a bit since he couldn't perfectly guess Roy's reaction to certain situations.

They just had to wing it and see which direction it took them and go with it, hoping it would all work out. That's probably what they did, and luckily it worked.

Ironically Roy was very easily exploitable due to how neurotic he was. But it really shows how brilliant Frank was: the student surpassed his mentor.

[–] jtf1986 9 years ago

Two instead of five? Where are you getting that from? How would Roy be convinced he has a daughter without the fake psychiatrist? And there were definitely more than five people, Chuck must have been on it too.

[–] AHumanBeing 9 years ago

This was the worst movie I've ever seen.
Two hours of my life I won't get back and now it IS on my nerves. P.O.S. script, movie, the whole lot, waste of time.
The people that got robbed are any of us who watched it.

[–] Sidewindr 9 years ago

It seems a lot of people miss the point of this story .. it is not about the con, the con is basically a McGuffin..

The point of the story is how Roy grows and changes because of the interaction with "his daughter" and how the focus of his life changes from being selfish and scamming people to that of love and companionship and an honest living.

[–] Just_Jimmy 9 years ago

Sidewndr sure it was a mcguffin well perhaps partially but you still can't over look the fact that there are flaws which can bother some....such as why would Frank do that if he splits the money anyways with Roy? Unless Roy has this obscene amount that he was putting away before he even met Frank...?

[–] karchad 8 years ago

I agree with you. N. Cage was fantastic. But the script was mediocre. He saved this movie from me turning it off. And it came highly recommended - my mother!