The Good Liar (2019)

Consummate con man Roy Courtnay has set his sights on his latest mark: the recently widowed Betty McLeish, worth millions. But this time, what should have been a simple swindle escalates into a cat-and-mouse game with the ultimate stakes.

Director:

Bill Condon

Writers:

Nicholas Searle (based on the novel by), Jeffrey Hatcher (screenplay by)

Stars:

Helen Mirren, Ian McKellen, Russell Tovey

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Helen Mirren	...	Betty McLeish
Ian McKellen	...	Roy Courtnay
Russell Tovey	...	Stephen
Jim Carter	...	Vincent
Mark Lewis Jones	...	Bryn
Laurie Davidson	...	Hans Taub (1948)
Phil Dunster	...	Roy Courtnay (1948)
Lucian Msamati	...	Beni
Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson	...	Vlad
Tunji Kasim	...	Michael
Spike White	...	Hans Taub (1943)
Stella Stocker	...	Frau Schröder
Daniel Betts	...	Herr Schröder
Nell Williams	...	Lili
Celine Buckens	...	Annalise

Storyline

Career con artist Roy Courtnay (Sir Ian McKellen) can hardly believe his luck when he meets well-to-do widow Betty McLeish (Dame Helen Mirren) on-line. As Betty opens her home and life to him, Roy is surprised to find himself caring about her, turning what should be a cut-and-dry swindle into the most treacherous tightrope walk of his life.

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Plot Keywords:

past coming back to haunt | rape | fraud | con artist | widow | 

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Taglines:

Read between the lies

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some strong violence, and for language and brief nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sir Ian McKellen and Jim Carter appeared in Richard III (1995), which was co-written by McKellen.

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Goofs

When Roy (Ian McKellen) and Betty (Helen Mirren) prepare to enter their passwords for the money transfer to take place, Roy begins to spell out the word 'lilies', but he he incorrectly says 'I.L.L.' instead of 'L.I.L.'

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Quotes

Stephen: It seems like you've had quite a past.

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Connections

Referenced in The Graham Norton Show: Dame Julie Andrews/Jennifer Aniston/Reese Witherspoon/Ian McKellen/Dua Lipa (2019)

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Soundtracks

In der Nacht, Ist Der Mensch Nicht Gern Alleine
Written by Willy Dehmel and Franz Grothe
Performed by Marika Rökk
Courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH
By arrangement with Sony Music Entertainment

User Reviews

Good until the twist

With some of the best actors, we got the amazing performances we expected. But no amount of acting by McKellen or Mirren can save the script. This was actually a decent movie until the twist came in. It was hard to believe, didn't work with the tone of the movie, and just plain stupid. The film would've been way better off without it.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Instagram

Country:

UK Germany USA

Language:

English German Russian French Spanish

Release Date:

15 November 2019 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Good Liar

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,605,051, 17 November 2019

Gross USA:

$17,156,058

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$33,856,058

Company Credits

Production Co:

BRON Studios, Creative Wealth Media Finance, New Line Cinema

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1