A captivating con drama with mysterious twists in the tale, that’s the best way to summarise this movie. Adapted from a novel of same name by Nicholas Searle, this movie having two septuagenarian central characters is certainly a charm to watch on the screen.

The story begins and ends in London- the financial behemoth of the modern world, the multicultural magnet since the turn of the last century, Here we meet our protagonists, Mr. Roy Courtnay and Ms. Betty McLeish. Both of them already in the sunset years of their lives and looking for companionship, albeit for different reasons.

The film begins with both of them searching this companionship online from the comforts of their own desks. It’s so joyous to watch people of their ages, looking for love by adopting the modern ways. Well, like in any true online dating profile, there are few truths here and few lies there, as we all know.

So, our leading characters meet and greet each other. This first meeting itself is so mischievous but endearing that viewers can see their upcoming romantic journey. But then the audiences are introduced to Roy’s real motive of befriending a woman coming from a certain social class (read inheritance), in the next few scenes itself. We meet his best friend/ partner Vincent with whom (and also helped by some very friendly Russians), they are running a business of cheating people and robbing them- quite sophisticatedly I must say, of thousands of pounds.

At this point, audiences might think that the storyline is quite predictable and poor Betty is going to meet the same fate as those ‘London Investor People’. At this point, the speed of the movie wavers and you are about to give in, thinking this age old (no pun intended) romance drama is getting a bit sluggish. It has sprinklings of all those romantic capers like sunset walks, fine dining and shopping in the classic British fashion stops. But then comes a twist, completely out of the blue, almost throwing us off the chair once our leading couple visits Berlin.

From there to the last scene, the plot line moves at a breakneck speed, in few swift seconds within that Berlin apartment the focus shifts from Roy to Betty, ever so subtly. What happens next and how the mystery unfolds is a thrill to watch onscreen.

Of course, the credit belongs to the original author for penning such a gripping story in the first place. But then, as always in case of any kind of screen adaptations, the credit should be given to the adapters, too- behind the camera and those who are in front of it. Certainly Jeffrey Hatcher has done a masterful work of screen writing and Bill Condon of leading this project as a director, but in my opinion what lifts this book adaptation to another level are its leading actors. When you have Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen as the leading pair on the screen, it simply creates magic. They are brilliantly supported by Russell Tovey, playing the nosey grandson and Jim Carter, playing Roy’s confidant till the very end.

To sum it up, I would recommend this movie who love their romances with some drama or for all those who are in love with historical fictions. Aha, saying more than this will be spoiling the fun, so go watch.