Never have I felt so swindled after a con man picture as I was after “Matchstick Men.” I’m still miffed that I didn’t see what was coming, but what can I say? I guess I’m a total pigeon.

As far as grifting pictures go, “Matchstick Men” is one of the best, building on material from past greats, and losing the trash that plagued others. It might not be “The Sting,” but it sure isn’t “Opportunity Knocks.”

Ridley Scott, the film’s director, has ventured into nearly every genre of popcorn movie (“Alien”, “Blade Runner”, “Gladiator”) and made his mark. There are few filmmakers who simply do not make bad films, and Scott seems to be one of them.

“Matchstick Men,” is the story of Roy Waller (Nicholas Cage), a con man suffering from some sort of obsessive/compulsive neurosis. Right from the start, his character starts developing, and thankfully, it never stops. Writers Nicholas Griffin and Ted Griffin definitely contributed to that, providing a character with such depth without cramming in meaningless backstory. Just as we start to ask questions about Roy’s past, along comes Angela, his long-lost daughter, to do it for us.

Things get really sticky after Angela starts pleading with Roy to teach her the basics of being a scam artist. The film wants us to enjoy this exchange, and when we do, it punishes us for it.

It’s hard to go any further into the plot without giving away its secrets — just know you’ll want to see this one twice. Scott and his team build a web of lovable deceit, and I still can’t believe I found myself stuck in it.

As with other Scott films, “Matchstick Men” has an amazing visual appeal. It’s a film you can watch without the sound and still find yourself entertained. Notice the highly saturated colors used to stress Roy’s agoraphobia. Things start to twist and contort when a character wakes from a drug-induced sleep, and the light often serves as Roy’s greatest enemy. This is arguably Scott’s most visually appealing film, and definitely cinematographer John Mathieson’s (“Gladiator”, “K-PAX”) best work.

Even with all of the film’s visual achievements, Cage is the real winner here. The movie really caught me offguard, just as Cage has done in recent times.

Coming off an amazing performance in “Adaptation,” Cage nearly outdoes himself. It’s so much fun to watch this guy act and react on screen these days. In “Matchstick,” he gets Roy Waller down to each nonchalant wink and each long, drawn out “Umm …”

I realize many doubt Cage’s abilities as an actor — I was once one of them. Sure, “Adaptation” could have been a fluke, but “Matchstick” proves it was not. Hopefully Cage will get that Oscar he should have won last year.