Every Ridley Scott Movie Ranked Worst To Best

12. Matchstick Men (2003)

Compared to his more spectacular films, Matchstick Men tends to be over-looked in the wide pantheon of Ridley Scott's work because it's so slight. But it's a great character piece and it's one of the best examples of Scott balancing characters and style, rather than being distracted by a commitment to style.

It has a modern Sting vibe about it, and it thrives on the performances of Nic Cage and Sam Rockwell - as well as newcomer Alison Lohman. It's clever, funny and dark, and the fact that Cage didn't win anything for his performance in it is one of the biggest travesties of his career. Thanks to Scott's restraint and his willingness to put his visual quirks to bed, the actors have much more space to perform and to play off one another.

It barely even feels like a Ridley Scott film, which is the film's strongest selling point, and even when it flirts a little too much with sentimentality, it's saved by smart, occasionally slyly funny writing.