The Good Liar (2019)

No Spoilers as usual from me except to say the trailers of The Good Liar give us only an inkling into the complex maze the plot reveals and that it’s a master class in great acting from Sir Ian McKellen and Dame Helen Mirren.

I think it’s the finest performance from Ian McKellen since his Oscar nominated role in Gods and Monsters in 1999 and I’m not surprised that Bill Condon the director of this film also directed Ian McKellen in Gods and Monsters.

In The Good Liar Ian McKellen is cast as Roy Courtnay who meets Helen Mirren cast as Betty McLeish on a mature age dating site it soon becomes apparently clear that Roy’s motives are not honourable in any way shape or form it takes us a lot longer to reveal Betty’s true motive. In the meantime we meet Betty’s hunky handsome protective Grandson Stephen perfectly played by Russell Tovey who seeks out to find out all he can about his Grandmother’s new border and boyfriend.

Jim Carter who plays Mr Carson in Downton Abbey is very impressive in the very different role of Vincent the best friend of Roy Courtney and “business associate ” it’s a great ensemble cast and this film has some great plot twisters and surprises that at times may seem a little improbable but that didn’t bother me a bit.

It’s the performances of McKellen and Mirren that are sublime, subtle and mesmerising the range of these two actors is astonishing when you think back to characters like Helen Mirren in The Queen or Catherine the Great and Maria Altman in Woman in Gold then Ian McKellen as Gandalf or James Whale in Gods and Monsters and King Lear to see them together in a film for the first time ,they have appeared on stage together in 2001 in Dance of Death on Broadway.

I must mention the great score by Carter Burwell it’s perfect and gives great atmosphere to the emotional and suspenseful plot I really like his scores and this is up with his previous film scores for Carol, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing ,Missouri and In Bruges.

I really enjoyed The Good Liar go see it and don’t let anyone tell you the outcome of this complex story.

Review by tm-sheehan