Two old pros go at each other in this thriller filled with cons, revenge and intrigue.
Based on Nicholas Searle’s novel, the opening has Roy (Ian McKellen) and Betty (Helen Mirren), widowed senior citizens, filling out on-line dating forms.
They meet in a restaurant and after they confess that neither used their real names on their applications, get to know one another better.
They have a couple of dates and when Roy injures his knee, Betty invites him to move into her spare bedroom in her one-story apartment – It’s where the scam begins.
Roy and his partner (Jim Carter) run investment schemes and are not above using strong arm tactics to get what they want. The two zero in on Betty as their next victim.
Betty, a retired Oxford professor, makes some questionable moves. The first, is inviting a stranger to move in and the second is freely discussing her net worth with Roy and his partner, who he introduces as his investment consultant.
Betty does have someone looking out for her and that is her grandson Steven (Russell Tovey). A doctoral candidate, he pops in and out of grandma’s apartment spouting caution about this man that he’s very wary of.
Directed by Bill Condon (Beauty and the Beast) and adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher, the film has some surprising violence.
It’s an enjoyable film with wonderful performances. I really appreciated the cat and mouse intrigue, but the twist at the end came out of left field.
Even so, I really enjoyed the ins and outs of the script and watching Mirren and McKellen having such a good time together, was great fun.