“It’s all right, Gran!”

From The Good Liar.

Conman Roy (Ian McKellen) uses a variety of tricks to scam people out of their money, including using online dating to meet wealthy women.  His latest mark is Betty (Helen Mirren), a gentle, recently widowed woman who happens to be sitting on a small fortune that Roy wants.  While he is the perfect gentleman when with Betty, Roy is a vicious man with both his cons and the associates (including Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson) he hires to help him pull off the jobs, with the exception of his business associate, Vincent (Jim Carter).  As Roy progresses in his plan of getting close to Betty, including staying in her spare bedroom to “heal” from a fabricated injury, Betty moves forward willingly, captivated by the charming man she’s getting to know.  The only person in Betty’s life that does not fall victim to Roy’s charm is her grandson, Stephen (Russell Tovey).  Once Roy has cemented his place in Betty’s life, he introduces her to Vincent to enact the final part of their plan… emptying her bank account and making a quick getaway.  However, the closer Roy gets to Betty and her money, more secrets from his past surface and threaten to expose all of his lies, but it also puts Roy in a position that he’s never found himself in before… he is developing feelings for the mark.  As the long con for Betty’s fortune draws to a close, Roy carries on, lying his way through any and every issue that arises, but it soon becomes apparent that Roy is not the only one with something to hide.

Based on the Nicholas Searle novel of the same name, this thriller takes viewers on an unexpected roller coaster of mysteries, lies, and surprising twists.  McKellen and Mirren are a definite powerhouse together on screen, each captivating as they slide between lies and cover stories.  The twist at the end is definitely unexpected, but does explain the character motivations throughout the film.  The Good Liar is an interesting thriller that works as the perfect escape for fans of the genre.

| Rated: PG-13 | Running Time: 117 minutes |Genre: thriller/mystery/adaptation |

||Family Viewing||Cursing: 5* of 10|Nudity: 2 of 10|Sexuality: 0 of 10|Gore: 4 of 10

|AVAILABLE FOR HOME VIEWING|