A Fascinating Case--Movie a Bit Bland

Rating: 8/10 (12 January 2017)

I have to say that I enjoyed this film, but mostly for the subject matter, a court case that took place in 1998. We have for some time been made aware again of the Nazi's efforts to steal the great art of the world, particularly Western art. Movies like "The Monument Men" depict efforts to recover what they stole from the heart of the world. For this they can never be forgiven. The majority of these pieces have never been found. Fortunately, many of the works were kept in museums or in private residences and so were intact. This is the story of a piece that became known as the Austrian Mona Lisa. Helen Mirren is Maria Altman whose family owned the great portrait known as the Woman in Gold. When she finds some letters that tell of the story of the painting, she enlists a young Randy Schoenberg, the grandson of the great composer, to make a case for the return of the painting to its rightful heirs. Predictably, they wade through all the roadblocks, assisted by a young Austrian journalist. I have to agree with the reviews that talk about the good guys and the bad guys. I love Austria, especially Vienna, but here they are portrayed so harshly that we have little sympathy for their position. Ryan Reynolds is a little short on effort here, sort of phoning it in. But there are enough twists and turns and Mirren is great fun to watch to make it well worthwhile. I plan on seeing how realistic the portrayal was.