Taglines: Read between the lies.
Roy Courtnay is an aging British con artist who, along with his business partner Vincent, uses false identities to manipulate people into giving him access to their finances. His target is Betty McLeish, a former history professor at Oxford who lost her husband a year ago and has savings in excess of £2 million.
Feigning a bad knee, Roy manipulates Betty into allowing him to stay at her house. He steadily encourages her to open a joint offshore investment account with him, so that he can steal her money. Simultaneously, Roy and Vincent run an investment scam with their mark Bryn and his associate by employing fake Russian investors.
One of the fake Russians, actually a Polish butcher, demands a greater cut of the take; in response, Roy orders thugs to break the butcher’s hand with a meat tenderizer. Realizing he has been robbed, Bryn follows Roy during his date with Betty. Upon spotting Bryn nearby, Roy sends Betty into the shops before luring Bryn into Charing Cross tube station. There, Roy stabs Bryn and then shoves him into the path of an incoming train, killing him. Roy reunites with Betty back at the shops.
Roy and Betty vacation in Berlin, where Roy appears to understand German, though he claims he does not. Betty’s grandson Steven takes the couple to a flat that Roy recognizes. Steven reveals that ‘Roy Courtnay’—a young British Army officer—was killed there in 1948 by a Nazi war criminal whom he was tracking, according to Soviet records. This causes Roy to explain that his real name is Hans Taub, who was Roy’s German translator, and that he stole Roy’s identity so that he could leave Germany and reinvent himself. Betty accepts his explanation and dismisses Steven’s objections.
Soon afterwards, Roy and Betty plan to transfer their money into the joint account. Vincent suggests to Roy that he leave at least some of the money for Betty to help with her medical condition, but Roy dismisses the idea and insists that he’ll leave Betty financially defrauded just like his previous victims. Vincent reluctantly complies and later observes the couple transferring their money into the joint account. However, after leaving Betty and returning to his flat, Roy discovers that he no longer has the keypad needed to access the account. Roy returns to Betty’s house to reclaim it, only to find Betty waiting for him and that all the house’s contents have been removed.
The Good Liar is a 2019 American crime thriller film directed and produced by Bill Condon and written by Jeffrey Hatcher, based on the novel of the same name by Nicholas Searle. It stars Ian McKellen as a career con artist who meets a wealthy widow (Helen Mirren) online, and then discovers that his plan to steal her fortune has unexpected roadblocks. The film was released in the United States on November 15, 2019. It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $33 million against a budget of $10 million.
The Good Liar (2019)
Directed by: Bill Condon
Starring: Ian McKellen, Helen Mirren, Russell Tovey, Jim Carter, Mark Lewis Jones, Lily Dodsworth-Evans, Phil Dunster, Michael Culkin, Laurie Davidson, Celine Buckens, Bessie Carter
Screenplay by: Jeffrey Hatcher
Production Design by: John Stevenson
Cinematography by: Tobias A. Schliessler
Film Editing by: Virginia Katz
Costume Design by: Keith Madden
Set Decoration by: Tamsin Clarke
Art Direction by: Elaine Kusmishko, Keely Lanigan-Atkins, Tarnia Nicol, Vicki Stevenson
Music by: Carter Burwell
MPAA Rating: R for some strong violence, and for language and brief nudity.
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema
Release Date: November 15, 2019
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