Luck Be A Lady

The Good Liar is touted as a sophisticated scam caper, but comes off more like a rallying cry for the "Me Too Movement". Originally, I was drawn to the movie for its star power with Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen cast as the principal players. They pull off command performances in a cat and mouse confidence game, squaring off in a battle of wits. Just when you think you've figured out the plot, the tables get turned. Throughout the film, you don't know who's blowing smoke - who's the mastermind and who's the dupe. That said, it's a dark tale and although the ending is unexpected, the story left me cold. I can see why many critics are lukewarm towards it. The Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes was much more favorable, and I can see that, too. It's a story that needs to be told. Nevertheless, it doesn't stack up very well with previous bunko artists on the silver screen.

If you're of a certain age, 1973's The Sting is probably the most noteworthy flimflam film. It starts Paul Newman and Robert Redford at the height of their popularity and won Best Picture that year beating out American Graffiti and The Exorcist. I can still remember the line in the movie, "You don't know shit from Shinola.". It took the nation by storm being nominated for 10 Academy Awards. Adjusted for inflation, box office sales make it one of the highest-grossing films in United States history. $800 million in today's dollars. I watched it more than once and that's the highest compliment I can give to any movie. It left a lasting impression on me and my contemporaries. Just as much as any early Jack Nicholson showcase such as The Last Detail or Five Easy Pieces. However, it's not my favorite con artist movie.

1990's The Grifters is by far my preferred motion picture production highlighting the big bilk. It doesn't have the cultural impact that The Sting did, but it left a big impression on me. Most notably because the screenwriter, Donald E. Westlake, and Jim Thompson, who wrote the novel the movie is based on, were influential in my writing. Jim Thompson "The Dimestore Dostoevsky", experienced a big revival 30 years ago. His most famous work is The Killer Inside Me. I devoured his books, including 1963's The Grifters. Both the movie and the book begin with a bang - Roy Dillon, small time confidence man gets mortally wounded when he takes a blow to the gut by a disgruntled mark wielding a baseball bat. You have an instant time-lock. Only 24 hours to tell the story. There's no Hollywood ending, but that's Jim Thompson's style. He always goes for broke. Thompson died in obscurity, but lives on in cult status.

Unlike Jim Thompson, you could fill a book about the accolades Donald E. Westlake received during his illustrious career. Three time Edgar Award winner, he primarily wrote comic capers under his real name. However, under the pseudonym of Richard Stark, he penned a series of pulp novels with the infamous protagonist Parker. I read every book in the series published during the 1960's. Many movies were made from the Parker stories with the most renown being 1967's Point Blank starring Lee Marvin and Angie Dickinson. The Split with Jim Brown and The Outfit with Robert Duvall are also lesser known celluloid adaptions. Taut, well crafted stories that come right to the point. They wouldn't fly in today's Hollywood, but you can occasionally catch them on Turner Classic Movies. Nothing like a plot.

But back to The Good Liar. One thing that drew me to the movie was the age of the lead characters. Helen Mirren plays Betty McLeish, a 78 year old widow. Most women in their 60's would die to look like Helen Mirren. She's an outlier, or had a lot of work done, but maybe it's just genetics. Whatever she's got, they should bottle it and sell it. Would make a fortune. Ian McKellen stars as Roy Courtnay, a weathered octogenarian scam artist. They appeared to have good chemistry as the story unfolds. I wanted to discover what life may be like for me in 20 years where relationships are concerned. They say you make it past 65 and you're good for another two decades. As the plot progressed, it moved away from potential intimacy, to a caper, which is probably a no brainer. Come 2040, I'll have to find out myself what it's like being in the twilight of my life.

In any event, without giving away the ending, it didn't work out too well for Roy. Didn't work out too well for The Good Liar, either. It's too convoluted and has been a disappointment at the box office. There are many con artist movies, and if you want to see an excellent one in the modern vein, I'd suggest Matchstick Men, Catch Me If You Can, or any of the David Mamet productions such as House of Games and The Spanish Prisoner. However, for a payback film in the "Me Too" era, The Good Liar may be exactly what you're looking for.