The Wizard Of Lies: Trailer, certificate and where to watch
Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer star in a one-off HBO drama based on the Bernie Madoff scandal
Year: 2017
Certificate: 18
Robert De Niro plays the fraudster Bernie Madoff in a polished, one-off HBO drama about one of the biggest scandals in financial history. His Madoff is a mix of modesty and arrogance, while Michelle Pfeiffer gives an impressively sympathetic performance as his wife, Ruth.
The film marked Pfeiffer's return to the screen after four years spent seeing her children through college and spending more time at home. Directed by Barry Levinson and co-written by his son, Sam, The Wizard Of Lies was also the fourth film the two leads had done together, giving them a natural on-screen chemistry. Pfeiffer found De Niro's resemblance to Madoff uncanny. 'There are some scenes where I did a double-take and thought, "Oh, did they use real footage there?"' she recalled.
The film concentrates less on the financial victims of the scandal, more on the devastating effect of the events on the Madoff family and particularly on Ruth. 'What happened to her was tragic - she lost everything she had in just one day. Along the way she's been unfairly villainised,' Pfeiffer reflects. Dramas about such situations often focus on the victims and so does The Wizard Of Lies, but not in the way that you might expect - and making that work on screen was a considerable acting achievement. (132 minutes)
