Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
Career con man Roy sets his sights on his latest mark: recently widowed Betty, worth millions. And he means to take it all. But as the two draw closer, what should have been another simple swindle takes on the ultimate stakes.
The Good Liar is elevated almost entirely by its two lead performances — Ian McKellen and Helen Mirren bring extraordinary craft and watchability to roles that lesser actors would flatten. The plot is a reasonably engaging con-artist thriller that builds well through its first two acts, though the third-act revelations veer into melodrama and stretch credibility, undercutting the careful tension built beforehand. Cinematography is competent but unremarkable, serving the story without distinguishing itself. Novelty is moderate — the cat-and-mouse con dynamic is a well-worn genre staple, but the pairing of McKellen and Mirren and the film's restrained, mature tone give it a degree of distinctiveness. The ending, while twisty, feels somewhat overwrought and relies on a backstory reveal that strains the otherwise grounded tone.