Excellent

Rating: 9/10 (3 May 2015)

Maria Altmann, who fled to the USA from Vienna during World War II, determines - with the assistance of lawyer Randy Schoenberg - to petition the Austrian Government for the return of various art treasures stolen by the Nazis. The Austrian Government might be more constructively disposed towards cooperation were it not for the fact that one of the pieces is Portrait Of Adele Bloch-Bauer, Maria's aunt, which occupies pride of place in Vienna's Belvedere Palace.
Helen Mirren plays Maria and Ryan Reynolds plays Randy in this dramatisation of real-life events, which is pitched perfectly - the story is gripping (and there is much at stake, particularly for Randy), there is a welcome seasoning of humour, and a selection of sobering flashbacks showing the affluence of Maria's family, and how it can all be washed away in a second. The story is highly enjoyable, but there are some sobering a moving moments which emphasise the importance of the events behind the story - this is about much, much more than a painting.