It is likely that you or someone you know has a story to tell about how they almost fell, or indeed fell, for the schemes of a cunning scammer.

These conmen are a devious lot, preying on unsuspecting and vulnerable folks, betraying their trust as they plunder bank accounts.

So, it might be a little hard at first to see Ian McKellen playing a con artist and even more so to hate him for what he does.

McKellen stars alongside the equally talented Helen Mirren in Bill Condon’s latest crime thriller, The Good Liar.

Based on the novel by Nicholas Searle, McKellen stars as Roy Courtnay, a veteran scammer who is out to get the fortune of one Betty McLeish, played by Mirren.

Plotting a romance scam, Courtnay develops a seemingly loving relationship with McLeish to gain her trust.

But it soon begins to dawn on him that like in any game of chess, there has to be more than one player moving the pieces around the board.

The two accoladed actors, as one might expect, are the draw of any film aficionado and they indeed are the highlights of this film.

Due to the nature of their nefarious work, scammers themselves are normally good actors.

So, you have McKellen, an expert thespian, playing Courtnay, a highly convincing and conniving scammer.

This is, of course, not the first time that McKellen has played a charming yet villainous character, as one can remember his role as the mutant supremacist Magneto from the X-Men film series.

And in The Good Liar, he plays a far more human villain who may not be genocidal, but is still a terrible person nonetheless. Courtnay is the sort the person you are initially unsure if you love or hate.

Obviously, given what he’s up to, you would want to hate him, but the way he treats McLeish is nothing short of convincingly sweet.

He plays a bumbling elderly gentleman, who fumbles about and acts all innocent and cute to charm McLeish into opening up to him.

Perhaps this may remind viewers that even the most sweet-talking person with whom you’d like to spend the rest of your life with might have darker intentions for you.

But as soon as McLeish is out of his sight, Courtnay becomes a whole other person, his true cold-hearted self who is not above more dastardly crimes or even murder.

He cares for nothing and no one but himself and you will grow to despise him when at one point, his more sympathetic partner-in-crime suggests that they show some mercy by leaving some money in McLeish’s coffers.

Courtnay laughs him off and decides to take everything she has, not caring for the fact that she invited him into her home and has shared intimate details with him.

By the time the truth begins to unravel, the audience will undoubtedly be hoping for him to get his just deserts.

It takes two to tango though, and Mirren plays McLeish so wonderfully that you might just wish that she is your grandmother.

Sweet and charitable, one can feel nothing less than bad for her as you know the man she’s smitten with is out to empty her pockets and break her heart.

However, like most Malaysians who have found out the hard way, she is a tough granny and is not exactly the helpless victim one might initially expect.

One facet about the movie that might throw viewers into a spin is how drastically the tone shifts at times.

One moment, Courtnay and McLeish are being an adorable elderly couple and the next second, Courtnay walks away nonchalantly as screams of terror are heard in the background.

Throughout the film, clues are sprinkled hinting that Courtnay and McLeish are not being honest about who they really are.

However, when the big twist is finally revealed, it comes out of left field and is part of a somewhat rushed ending.

As one might say, you can’t pull the rug from under one’s feet if there wasn’t a rug to begin with.

The pace too has some issues, with the opening scenes being a slow trudge and the last scenes being a rush to deliver exposition and explain character motivation.

There’s a certain revelation in the third act that leaves the audience incredibly uncomfortable, which takes away from the first two acts that were fun in their own manner.

Not to mention, there are overly stretched out parts that seem to be taken out of the novel the movie is based on, and the wordiness of it all doesn’t really help in captivating the audience’s interest.

Ultimately, there are flaws in how the story flows and your mileage may vary on whether your enjoyment will be adversely affected by the ending or not.

Nevertheless, the immaculate performances by McKellen and Mirren who play off each other well and are good thespians in their own right is what gives the film some merit.

So if you are up to watching two great acting veterans shine in their element, do give this film a watch and figure out who’s who in this cat-and-mouse game.