The Last Vermeer movie review

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour 58 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: A-

IN A NUTSHELL:

Based on a true story, the movie begins in 1945, 3 weeks before the fall of Hitler’s Reich. The movie is also based on Jonathan Lopez’s 2008 book The Man Who Made Vermeers: Unvarnishing the Legend of Master Forger Han van Meegeren.

Dan Friedkin makes his directorial debut in The Last Vermeer. He actually played a stunt pilot in the movie DUNKIRK.

I’m always completely amazed when another movie set in World War II tells an intriguing story I’ve never heard about until now!

THINGS I LIKED:

I think the first time I saw Guy Pierce in a movie it was The Count Of Monte Cristo. I immediately liked him and have enjoyed all of his performances. In this movie, he plays a Dutchman named Han van Meegeren, a painter and art dealer. Some say Guy Pierce’s performance was over-the-top, while others view his overacting as an actual interpretation of a man who was probably very flamboyant, eccentric, and even insecure.
You get to travel to Amsterdam! You really get a feeling of what Holland would have looked and felt like after the war. The costume design, set pieces, and backdrops are fantastic and gorgeous. This is the kind of movie you feel a little bit more cultured after watching it, simply because it revolves around European art.
I liked the bird’s eye views in various scenes.
I love it when you can read more about the story on the end screen before the final credits. Such an interesting story about the most successful forger in history. Keep watching when the movie is over!
Lovely music by Johan Soderqvist, which scoops you up from the very beginning.
There’s a lot of “grey” area in how viewers will interpret this film. I always like that because it gets interesting conversations going!
Many of the frames look like artistic masterpieces themselves.
There are some great contrasts of characters that illustrate how people rationalized lowering or changing their values and standards during the terrible conditions of World War II. What would YOU be willing to do to survive?
The story is filled with rich tension.
This is a very good film that has absolutely flown under the radar for most people. If you love historical drama, the World War II time period, and true stories, I think you’ll really enjoy this!

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

The European accents are hit and miss.
The movie is kind of split into two parts: the courtyard drama and everything else. Some will prefer the scenes in court, while others will want to spend more time with the characters outside the legalese.
Act I moves a little slowly and then the film picks up speed in Act 2. Act 3 could have ended earlier with a very different vibe than how it actually ended. There’s a bit of an after-story with a twist. Look to see where you might have ended the story if you had been the director!

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Children will be bored and won’t understand the history or complicated politics. In theaters, you’ll see an audience of mostly older viewers, which is a shame because there is some interesting stuff to learn in this film!
Profanity and F-bombs
You see a firing squad killing people in two different scenes.
Men get into a violent brawl.

THEMES:

The value of art
Hope
Justice
Innocence vs. guilt
Truth, Integrity
Fraud
Marriage
Sacrifice
History
Forgery
Villains and heroes

FUNNY LINES:

* “I believe every Fascist deserves to be swindled.” – Han Van Meegeren (Guy Pierce)

“I suppose this is more adulation than even you imagined.” – Captain Joseph Piller (Claes Bang) “Are you kidding? I always imagined it.” – Han Van Meegeren (Guy Pierce)

INTERESTING LINES:

“I feel that in life, as in art, it’s best not to spoil the surprise.” – Han Van Meegeren (Guy Pierce)
“Why do you care so much about this man?” – Bernard Bakker (Karl Johnson) “It’s not the man, really. It’s the fact that he’s innocent.” – Captain Joseph Piller (Claes Bang)
“You know, I never cared about art, but now I know that all truly great artists bravely walk through the fire of critics and doubting sheep to claim their place in history.” – Captain Joseph Piller (Claes Bang)
“The tide goes in and the tide goes out and we do what we can to survive and keep the hope alive.” – Han Van Meegeren (Guy Pierce)