The Good Liar Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

The Good Liar Blu-ray Movie Review

Dirty Rotten Scoundrel.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman February 18, 2020

Note: Certain elements of the plot of The Good Liar are virtually impossible to discuss without at least hinting at what some may consider spoiler territory. For anyone with concerns in that regard, it's recommended that you skip down to the technical portions of the review, below.

The Good Liar is one of those films that hinges on a series of reveals that may strike some as increasingly far fetched the more previously unknown connections and plot strands are doled out. Some may remember the rather charming Frank Oz remake of Bedtime Story called Dirty Rotten Scoundrels which involved a pair of duelling grifters who had a supposedly easy “mark” in view, only to find out by the film’s finale that sometimes “easy marks” aren’t so easy after all ( Dirty Rotten Scoundrels was remade itself with a gender switch as The Hustle, to pretty lackluster effect). While offering none of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels’ often goofy sense of humor, The Good Liar plies much the same territory, to the point that even those unfamiliar with the source novel by Nicholas Searle or the film itself may have a general inkling from early on that things are not exactly as they’re being depicted. The film ostensibly offers a late in life romance between widow Betty McLeish (Helen Mirren) and widower Roy Courtnay (Ian McKellen), who are shown “meeting” virtually courtesy of a dating site like Our Time that caters to seniors. The fact that when the two actually do meet they both reveal they’ve been using aliases as online identities may at least give a clue that, while Roy is shown almost from the get go to be an unrepentant schemer who regularly defrauds wealthy people, Betty may have a trick or two up her sleeve as well.

It’s notable that at several key junctures, The Good Liar is told pretty resolutely from Roy’s point of view. This subtle but no doubt intentional emphasis on perspective tends to misdirect the viewer for at least a bit of time, but the fact that there are basically two competing elements in the plot unspooling at the same time also tends to keep things humming along briskly enough that some may not care that the wool is being pulled over their veritable eyes, even if they’re resolutely aware that the eye covering is happening. One side of this bifurcated approach is the unfolding “relationship” between Roy and Betty, one that’s aided by Betty’s supposedly kindhearted offer that Roy move into her spare bedroom since he supposedly suffers from a bum knee and his apartment is on the top floor of a building ostensibly without an elevator.

The other part of the plot documents Roy’s grifting activities, which involve a rather underdeveloped sidekick named Vincent (Jim Carter, Downton Abbey). Roy’s grift has extended to Betty at least insofar as Roy is shown dashing to and fro without any signs of a knee problem whatsoever, at least when he’s not around his supposed new girlfriend, but it also slowly becomes evident that Roy and Vincent are running a scheme on two guys that ultimately involves a fake police raid that plays suspiciously similarly to the climax of The Sting.

While these two elements are finally dovetailed into each other, it takes a rather long and wending road to get there, one that also involves Betty’s (again, supposed) grandson Steven (Russell Tovey), who is working on a doctoral thesis about Nazis and Albert Speer (and if that doesn’t tip alert “why is that in the screenplay?” viewers off to one of the major reveals, nothing will). In the meantime, Roy’s grift with the two marks starts to go disastrously wrong, even as he and Vincent have moved on to figuring out to divorce Betty from her considerable wealth.

The film chugs along agreeably enough on the combined charisma of Mirren and McKellen, and it’s occasionally momentarily thrilling, as in a great sequence where Roy sees one of the marks when he’s out and about with Betty, and has to quickly take care of business without Betty realizing what’s going on. The fact that he just kind of bursts into a feral presence all of a sudden in this scene is at least part and parcel of the ultimate reveal about whom Roy “really” is, it also tends to point out the fact that there’s surprisingly little menace in this film, perhaps due at least in part to the age of the principals (it’s hard to feel threatened by a guy in his 80s). However, the film just tips over into near unbelievable territory when it finally gets to its main “Moishe the Explainer” scenes, which involve a fairly long flashback which of course reveals that Betty also has a “real” identity that is (again, of course) more convoluted and connected to Roy’s dubious past than he has realized.

The Good Liar Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Good Liar is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Warner Brothers Home Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.38:1. The IMDb lists the ever popular Arri Alexa as the camera of choice, with imagery finished at a 2K DI. This is a very sharp and pleasing looking transfer for the most part, one that offers a nicely natural looking palette and which doesn't really go in for much artificial grading other than in the longish just ever so slightly desaturated looking flashback that takes place toward the end of the film. The story doesn't offer a lot of opportunity for visual "wow" moments, but fine detail is typically very good to excellent throughout the presentation, especially on some of the fine fabrics on display in both costuming and upholstery. A couple of dark scenes, including a nightclub sequence where Roy first broaches his grift with his marks are just a tiny bit murky looking, a situation probably exacerbated by a prevalence of blue and purple lighting bathing everything.

The Good Liar Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Good Liar features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which is, like the video component, completely well wrought but never really in a total "wow" category. Surround activity perks up in the many outdoor scenes, or even in moments like the cafe where Roy and Betty first meet, where background clamor nicely populates the side and rear channels. Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly throughout this problem free track.

The Good Liar Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Perfect Match: Inside The Good Liar (1080p; 13:01) is a decent EPK elevated by interviews with the two stars.


• Deleted Scenes (1080p; 12:41)

The Good Liar Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Even if you're not quite sure what kind of a twist is coming, you're probably going to sense there's one in the offing virtually from the get go in this enterprise. The fact that the ultimate denouement requires such an astounding suspension of disbelief coupled with an equally astounding number of "coincidences" and things going just right in order for the "real" grift to be exposed may momentarily disrupt the enjoyment from seeing two consummate professionals like Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen strut their stuff in the film. But the fact is the combined charisma of this inimitable star duo is simply undeniable, and it helps The Good Liar to overcome some of its more patently ridiculous story elements. Technical merits are solid, and with caveats noted, The Good Liar comes Recommended.