Guy Pearce as Han Van Meegeren in TriStar Pictures' THE LAST VERMEER, Photo By: Jack English, Copyright: ©2020 CTMG. All Rights Reserved.

I am unabashedly in the thrall of this captivatingly complex quasi-historical film based on a book by Jonathan Lopez (The Man Who Made Vermeers), about the prolific Dutch art forger

Han van Meegeren. Set in Holland in the chaotic, often anarchic, period between the retreat of the Germans and the restructuring of order imposed by the Allies, the focus of this film is on recovering and restoring the vast quantities of fine art stolen by the Nazis. The protagonist of this investigation is Capt. Joseph Piller (Claes Bang), a Jew, formerly a Dutch resistance fighter, now enlisted by the Canadian government peace keeping mission, to trace a previously unknown Vermeer found in the collection of Herman Goering. The Dutch are supremely possessive of their artistic patrimony. The target of the investigation is a flamboyant Dutch art dealer and failed painter, Han van Meegeren (Guy Pearce), suspected of selling the painting to Goering.

Claes Bang as Joseph Piller in TriStar Pictures' THE LAST VERMEER, Photo By: JACK ENGLISH, Copyright: ©2020 CTMG. All Rights Reserved.

All these elements are successfully exploited in a thoroughly satisfying whole. The dramatically shot scenes of physical devastation of the country, overrun with ad hoc firing squads and extralegal retribution contrasted with the sublimely opulent interiors where the hedonistic privileged classes managed to carry on their lives with relative comfort are as stark as the contrast between the two leading characters. Bang, again playing an art world character (The Square, The Burnt Orange Heresy), but this time with a difference from his previous characters, is stolidly upright, moving his tall frame stiffly and awkwardly, his chiseled handsome features registering more determination than confidence. It turns out that he is as out of his depth as his sneering superiors have made clear. Yet, they underestimate him at their peril. When he comes into contact with his prey, the class distinctions become glaring as he enters the decadent world of the flamboyant, dissolute, social gadfly and party animal, Han van Meegeren, spewer of non-stop irreverent witticisms, consumer of vast quantities of alcohol at all hours of day and night, unbothered by moral boundaries, and dutifully attended by his glamourous louche mistress (Olivia Grant). Guy Pearce’s performance is a wickidly scene stealing extravaganza, and keeps the cat and mouse twisty investigation from getting too earnest.

Vicky Krieps as Minna Holmberg in TriStar Pictures' THE LAST VERMEER, Photo By: Jack English, Copyright: ©2020 CTMG. All Rights Reserved.

The concluding court case, a wonderfully implausible tour de force, is so thoroughly engaging it earns the right not to be quibbled with. And for those seeking factual details, there is always the book, which is probably a great read. As a film, I found this one so thoroughly enjoyable that I immediately watched it again in its entirety and I found plenty more to appreciate in the second viewing. I could not recommend it more for everyone - especially for those who appreciate this genre. You know who you are. (Available on Amazon Prime)

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