Direction: Bill Condon
Country: UK
Bill Condon’s The Good Liar is a colorless, shallow thriller that completely collapses in its attempt to combine con-artist entertainment and serious revenge tale.
Screenwriter Jeffrey Hatcher worked in the adaptation of Nicholas Searle's novel of the same name. Still, even with the leading roles in very good hands - Ian McKellen, in his fourth collaboration with the director, and Helen Mirren, were the elected ones - the film doesn’t break new ground and sort of freezes with limitations. In truth, the troubling twists of the plot feel more insecure than exciting, creating an off-putting distance between viewers and characters.
The story mostly concentrates on Roy Courtnay (McKellen), a perennial con artist who finds the perfect person to swindle. She is Betty McLeish (Mirren), a wealthy widow that incautiously opens the door of her house for him after a single date. Clearly, Roy is not the man he claims he is, but my inevitable curiosity went to the unsuspicious Betty. Is she completely transparent and as naive as she seems to be?
Torpid dialogues, an intrusive solemn score, an unsustainable crime without repercussions, a pointless trip to Berlin with staged developments, and a rushed revival of past occurrences are all aspects that help The Good Liar sinking deeper in the mud. Playing like a stage farce, this is one of those films where even the cast loses faith in a better outcome.
