Of course I love movies of all kinds and varieties, but I am not so crazy about films in which no one can be trusted. Mysteries and thrillers in which everyone is suspect — even the narrator or lead character — are more puzzle than adventure to me, and those tales often leave me cold. This particular factor definitely affects my reaction to The Good Liar, which is, in many ways, a superior movie.

Bill Condon’s film samples the world of online dating, as Betty McLeish (Helen Mirren) and Roy Courtnay (Ian McKellen) look for companionship, if not love, in their twilight years. But Ray is soon revealed to be a con man, and he has his sights set on Betty’s wealth. A cat-and-mouse game ensues, with the viewer wondering how Betty will discover and escape the traps that Ray has set. The answers are surprising.

The answers are surprising, even though it was plain to see that all is not what it appears to be from the beginning. I guessed pretty well how it was going to conclude, although how it got there was much more intricate and eye-opening that I had thought. The last twenty minutes are definitely worth the price of admission.

I may be wrong, but I also think that the film cheats a little bit, allowing two of its characters to talk in a way that completely undermines what will come later. I’d have to see it again to know for sure, but I think I am right, and that lowers my rating a half star. If I am wrong, this is a solid three-star movie. It’s a little artificial at times, but if you have a taste for a well-acted, complexly-plotted suspense drama, this is your film. ☆ ☆ 1/2. 31 December 2019.