The Good Liar

Based on a book by Nicholas Searle, The Good Liar follows a career con artist (Ian McKellen’s Roy Courtnay) as his efforts at wooing a wealthy widow (Helen Mirren’s Betty McLeish) are stymied by a variety of outside forces. Filmmaker Bill Condon does an effective job of initially luring the viewer into the deliberately-paced proceedings, as The Good Liar boasts a compelling opening half hour that effectively establishes the central characters and their respective lives – with the strength of this stretch certainly heightened by typically engaging work from both McKellen and Mirren. It’s equally apparent, though, that the picture suffers from a decidedly erratic midsection that’s riddled with padded-out, repetitive sequences, and there’s little doubt that the movie’s 110 minute running time could (and should) have been trimmed down considerably (ie the whole thing needs some serious tightening, ultimately). The revelation-heavy third act does ensure that The Good Liar ends on a somewhat engrossing note, however, which secures the film’s place as a mostly watchable thriller that never quite becomes the captivating piece of work one might’ve expected.

**1/2 out of ****