Deft counterpoint of Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds triumphs

Rating: 8/10 (11 September 2015)

I approached this film pretty half-heartedly – another Nazi victims film, more stolen artwork, another aged Jewish matriarch in the USA railing against the sins and unfairness of the past. If not for appreciation of Helen Mirren's abilities in older roles (thinking The Queen and the TV series Elizabeth I) I might have opted for a night in.
But the deft counterpoint of Helen Mirren's Maria Altmann and Ryan Reynolds as Randy Schoenberg, the lawyer who prosecutes her case, won me over. Vienna is shown in all her eighteenth and nineteenth century glory, and the juxtapositioning of WW2 scenes with current ones worked beautifully. For once, the many flashbacks and flash forwards were clear and aided the story rather than confusing matters. The film has captured a believable essence of the people involved, with many of the foibles adding to the sense of reality. It seems the events portrayed did happen, as stated, and most details are accurate.
Somehow the only character that didn't somehow quite ring true was Daniel Bruhl's Hubertus Czernin, who befriends Maria and Randy on their first tentative trip to Vienna, and provides the kernel of inspiration that their task might be worth pursuing, as well as critical information and links to helpful insiders. But history says he existed and assisted more or less as depicted; and without him the base story seems unlikely to have occurred. For the scenes of Vienna, and possibly the clarity of golden lustre of the Woman in Gold painting, this is worth seeing on the big screen. But the engagement with the characters and their story will shine on the little screen too.