The Good Liar: Bill Condon’s film oozes with subterfuge and duplicity. So much so it telegraphs a surprising turn of events will happen; the real surprise is only what it’s going to be. The real problem, however, is that it’s simply not all that interesting, and to further the issue, it comes with a long backstory the feels very tacked in and irrelevant. Those issues and additional plot holes notwithstanding, there is some pleasure to be gotten from watching the two veteran performers together. They seem to be having fun as well; the film revolves around Ian McKellen, and he creates beautifully a two-faced, mischievous con-man, so he gets to build a character within his character using his voice and posture; Helen Mirren imbues her seemingly simple character with an edge. The film is well put together, but aesthetically there’s not much to make it stand out.