The Good Liar

Movie
German title	The Good Liar
Original title	The Good Liar
Country of production	United States
original language	English
Publishing year	2019
length	110 minutes
Age rating	FSK 12
Rod
Director	Bill Condon
script	Jeffrey Hatcher
production	Bill Condon, ; Greg Yolen
music	Carter Burwell
camera	Tobias A. Schliessler
cut	Virginia Katz
occupation
	Helen Mirren : Betty McLeish; Ian McKellen : Roy Courtnay; Russell Tovey : Stephen; Jim Carter : Vincent; Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson : Vlad; Phil Dunster : young Roy; Mark Lewis Jones : Bryn; Aleksandar Jovanovic : Martin Geiger; Lily Dodsworth-Evans : Hannalore Schröder; Michael Culkin : Dr. Livesey; Celine Buckens : Annalize; Laurie Davidson : Hans Taub;
synchronization

The Good Liar (Original title The Good Liar ) is a film by Bill Condon , which came on November 15, 2019 in US cinemas. The film is based on the novel The Good Liar by Nicholas Searle , in which a con artist falls in love with a wealthy widow in his last coup, who he actually wanted to bring about her fortune.

action

Roy Courtnay met the childless widow Betty McLeish through a dating portal . The old con artist is an excellent liar and, in cooperation with his partner Vincent, has developed a profitable business idea on how to get other people's money. He promises them high profits in the shortest possible time by investing in certain businesses in which the two invest large sums themselves in order to inspire confidence. Betty is said to be the next victim of the two crooks. He courted the charming, educated and obviously rich Betty - this is a million dollar fortune - like a gentleman. However, the lady's nephew, Stephen, a history student, has been openly and from the beginning suspicious of Roy.

However, his double life as a friendly old gentleman and as the head of a cheating duo leads to problems. There is always a car parked in front of Betty's house that drives off as soon as it approaches and the driver of which may seek revenge. When an injured party confronts him, he makes short work: a henchman who demands more money is left with a hand that has been smashed by a meat hammer, he pushes a betrayed business partner in front of an incoming subway train.

Because of alleged problems with his knee, he temporarily moves in with Betty and paints her the advantages of a joint account with joint investments. Financed by the expected windfall, Betty would like to make up for a trip to the continent that was not made possible by the death of her husband. At the travel destination Berlin, Roy winces, has objections, but finally agrees. In Berlin, to his surprise, they are received by nephew Stephen, who is in Berlin for research for his studies and, as a connoisseur of the city, accompanies them to the usual sights. The last special attraction is a house from the Wilhelminian era. Allegedly the owner of an apartment gave him the key so that he can view the apartment.

Stephen confronts Roy with his investigation. A flashback tells the story of Roy's where he takes on the identity of a British soldier. He succeeds in doing this by helping the British to track down Nazi criminals shortly after the Second World War. During an investigation in an apartment, the suspect shoots the British soldier and Hans Taub. The soldier dies, and as they both look alike, Hans adopts his identity and ends up in the United Kingdom. However, Betty seems to break up with Stephen instead of Roy and Stephen leaves the apartment.

After their return from the trip, both transfer their entire assets to a joint account, the password is Lilly at Betty's suggestion. A picture of a lily seems to be the inspiration. After the successful coup, Roy sneaks out of the house, but is horrified to find that he has apparently forgotten his keypad . All attempts to withdraw funds from the account without the keypad will fail. When he hurries back completely beside himself, he finds an empty house. Betty sits in the only remaining armchair with both keypads, which deduct £ 50,000 from the account for every lie he tries to talk his way out of.

The story of a family with four daughters is told in flashbacks. Lily, the youngest, is taking English lessons from a student. The girls' father had treated the tutor, Hans Taub, in his opinion “from above”. In the following lesson, Lily, who adores Hans, is raped by him. He has to leave the house. A little later, the father is led away by Hans' denunciation by Nazi thugs and hanged, the mother commits suicide and an aerial bomb hits the kitchen and wipes out the rest of the family. Only Lily, who had slept in another room, survived. She then takes the name Betty.

Betty had found Roy together with the supposed nephew and presented himself as an easy victim. The driver, who drove up again and again before, turns out to be one of many of Betty's grandchildren, and the alleged nephew as his partner.

Betty leaves Roy to the previously damaged business partners after a scuffle. She leaves him exactly the amount that was stolen from the business partners. They inflict such physical violence on Roy that he suffers a stroke and can no longer speak or move clearly.

production

The film is based on the novel The Good Liar by Nicholas Searle , which was adapted for the film by Jeffrey Hatcher .

Directed by Bill Condon , who made his fourth film with Ian McKellen , who played the male lead from Roy Courtnay. McKellen's role in Gods and Monsters had earned him his first Oscar nomination. Oscar winner Helen Mirren also plays Betty McLeish in a leading role. It is the first joint appearance of the two actors in a film. Russell Tovey plays her grandson Stephen. Other roles were cast with Jim Carter , Celine Buckens and Mark Lewis Jones .

The shooting took place in Berlin and London . Exterior shots were taken in Fetcham, Surrey .

The score was composed by Carter Burwell . The soundtrack, which comprises a total of 17 pieces of music, was released on November 8, 2019 by WaterTower Music as a download and on CD.

A first trailer was presented at the end of June 2019, and another trailer in October 2019. The film celebrated its world premiere on November 6, 2019 in New York. It was released in US cinemas on November 15, 2019 and in German cinemas on November 28, 2019.

synchronization

The German dubbing was done by Sven Hasper , commissioned by RC Production Kunze & Wunder GmbH & Co. KG in Berlin .

role	actor	German speaker
Betty McLeish	Helen Mirren	Karin Buchholz
Roy Courtnay	Ian McKellen	Eckart Dux
Stephen	Russell Tovey	Henning Nöhren
Vincent	Jim Carter	Reinhard Scheunemann
Hannalore Schröder	Lily Dodsworth-Evans	Daniela Molina

reception

The film's revenues from theatrical screenings amount to 29.4 million US dollars, of which the film alone grossed 16.8 million in North America.

The film was able to convince 64 percent of the critics.

criticism

Krischan Koch from NDR says about the film: “What begins like an English crook comedy is developing more and more into a drama that goes back to Nazi Germany in the last years of the war. […] The film lost its initial lightness in the end, but gained in tension. The flashbacks that keep giving the story new twists and turns may seem a bit bumpy and intentional, but watching Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen play this cat-and-mouse game is fascinating. An entertaining confusion and great acting cinema. "

Age rating

In the USA, the film received an R rating from the MPAA , which corresponds to a rating of 17 and over. In Germany it was approved by the FSK from the age of 12.