X
- 2019
- R
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 49 m
- 2019
- R
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 49 m
Summary Career con artist Roy Courtnay (Ian McKellen) can hardly believe his luck when he meets well-to-do widow Betty McLeish (Helen Mirren) online. As Betty opens her home and life to him, Roy is surprised to find himself caring about her, turning what should be a cut-and-dry swindle into the most treacherous tightrope walk of his life.
Directed By: Bill Condon
Written By: Nicholas Searle, Jeffrey Hatcher
- 2019
- R
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 49 m
- 2019
- R
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 49 m
The Good Liar
55
5.5
Where to Watch
Summary Career con artist Roy Courtnay (Ian McKellen) can hardly believe his luck when he meets well-to-do widow Betty McLeish (Helen Mirren) online. As Betty opens her home and life to him, Roy is surprised to find himself caring about her, turning what should be a cut-and-dry swindle into the most treacherous tightrope walk of his life.
Directed By: Bill Condon
Written By: Nicholas Searle, Jeffrey Hatcher
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 31 Critic Reviews
55
48% Positive
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
48% Mixed
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
3% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 31 Critic Reviews
55
48% Positive
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
48% Mixed
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
3% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
This movie rattles along with terrific energy and dash and the flashback sequences show that it’s actually far more daring and ambitious that you might expect. It’s a great duel between McKellen and Mirren.
The back and forth, the listening and reacting between Mirren and McKellen, as each of their characters gauges the other and as we mark the incremental shifts and exchanges of power, is pure pleasure.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 73 User Ratings
5.5
36% Positive
26 Ratings
26 Ratings
49% Mixed
36 Ratings
36 Ratings
15% Negative
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 73 User Ratings
5.5
36% Positive
26 Ratings
26 Ratings
49% Mixed
36 Ratings
36 Ratings
15% Negative
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
I liked this film for the final plot twist at the end and also as both of the main cast members are big names and its nice to see them working with one another. The idea of McKellen as a retired conman is somewhat appealing and the way the plot turns out is quite satisfying - I won't say anymore, so as not to provide big spoilers. Yes I'd recommend this film.
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I liked it. While at first I thought might be boring and like more of a love story about people in older age, it turned out more interesting. Plus very great acting, with seasoned actors. Plot was interesting too, even though had some loopholes - spoiler alert - mainly about why Helen Mirren's character had to go through all the trouble of going to Germany and askin McKellen's character if he was a **** and all that if she already knew. I mean ok going to Germany to get what she needed (that hair or whatever even though for me that didn't seem much of a proof or whatever). I mean if digging deeper in story then can find many loopholes, but without doing that, it was very nice movie
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As a whole, The Good Liar is not quite good enough to deserve the comparisons to the works of Alfred Hitchcock it's clearly aiming for, though it is just good enough to suggest what Hitchcock himself might have done with it on a second pass.
Director Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters) can do this stuff with his eyes closed, and sometimes it feels like he might be doing that as the plot chugs from London to Berlin and secrets are duly uncovered. But there’s enough visual flair to elevate things above standard genre fare.
The world-class pairing of Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen is the only calling card that The Good Liar needs. Yet even these two knighted performers -- in a rare star vehicle for a pair of senior citizens -- can't elevate this adaptation of Nicholas Searle's book, which clearly wants to be twisty and Hitchcockian but never quite gets there.
Yes, you would watch these two in virtually anything. You just wish it wasn’t this. They deserve something sturdier and far less head-slappingly preposterous, and that’s the truth.
The calculation couldn’t be clearer. Put two superb performers together — they don’t get superber than Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen — and you’re on your way to making an exceptional movie. Not so fast, though. The Good Liar is calculation from arch start to hollow finish.
A deliciously devious game of bait and switch featuring intriguing and unexpected twists and turns, along with superb performances by Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen, that will keep you hooked right up until the end. While the film has some occasional pacing issues, an undercurrent of predictability and a few nasty incidents that seem out of place within the context of an otherwise-playful narrative, the picture nevertheless entertains thoroughly as the lead scoundrels spin their carefully orchestrated webs of deceit. Not groundbreaking cinema by any stretch but certainly passable, largely inoffensive fare that makes for a few good hours at the movies.
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Personally, it's great to see two established actors like Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen leading a good and interesting mystery thriller.
While the story doesn't help them entirely, they're both so good at what they do that of course it helps a lot to turn this movie into something better than the average.
The problems of course are inevitable and the one that ends up affecting most of the story is how predictable it can be. It's not that you infer the twist but that you know it's inevitable that it will come, therefore that element of surprise goes out the window.
Another problem, although not big, is how calculated all its elements are. In some thrillers it works great but here things feel a bit automated and there comes a point where the plausibility of the characters begins to fade.
It doesn't close consistently but it's conclusive enough.
It's not a sensational or extraordinary film but it has other advantages over many other mediocre thrillers, so of course I recommend it.
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This film pairs British greats Ian McKellen and Helen Mirren. He plays a con artist out to scam her, but anyone who's ever seen a movie will know that she's somehow in on the game. It's enjoyable to watch this great duo work. It's also fun to try to outwit the script. While it's not especially surprising and certainly not suspenseful, it's still an adult-aimed film that is sufficiently entertaining.
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When a movie features a scene where the two aging stars go to a cinema to watch a Quinton Tarantino film you sort of know what to expect from the ensuing screenplay and, it’s exactly as you might expect. Just as Tarantino copies everyone else’s movies this overreaching con job copies the copier. Chock full of un-surprising surprises this stylized mess ticks all the director’s boxes, **** collaborators, bloody moments of needless gore, a con within a con that’s too clever for its own good – which just might leave analytical members of the audience wishing it would stop outstaying its welcome. The two stars are worthy of a far better script than this prawn head dressed up in a Lobster’s shell - even with its stylish cinematography and moody Carter Burwell score, it’s a disappointment. Another for those who gloss over the surface of their entertainment, without thinking all that much about it.
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Production Company
1000 Eyes,
BRON Studios,
Creative Wealth Media Finance,
New Line Cinema
Release Date Nov 15, 2019
Duration 1 h 49 m
Rating R
Tagline Read between the lies
Awards
The Queerties
• 2 Nominations
AARP Movies for Grownups Awards
• 1 Nomination
Satellite Awards
• 1 Nomination
