Review of The Best Offer (2013) by Panta O — 08 Jun 2014

The Best Offer (Italian: La migliore offerta) is a very sophisticated Italian romantic mystery written and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore (Cinema Paradiso). Perfectly casted stars Geoffrey Rush, Jim Sturgess, Sylvia Hoeks and Donald Sutherland managed to deliver the goods in Giuseppe Tornatore's first English-language feature.

It was a very colourful story of love and deceit, set in Europe (Trieste, Bolzano, Fidenza, Rome, Milan, Merano, Vienna, Prague) in the world of high-end art auctions and antiques. The story revolves around an elderly and esteemed, but somewhat eccentric, managing director of an auction house Virgil Oldman (Geoffrey Rush) who is hired by a reclusive young heiress, Claire Ibbetson (Sylvia Hoeks), to auction off the large collection of art and antiques left to her by her parents. The mystery starts when, for some reason, Claire always refuses to be seen in person.

Virgil Oldman finds some odd old mechanical parts in the house and collects them, and an astute young artificer, Robert (Jim Sturgess), aids him in restoring and reassembling them. He is also giving him advice on how to befriend her, and how to deal with his feelings towards Claire. Oldman's character has poise and prestige which is counterpointed by an ongoing scam whereby his friend Billy Whistler (Donald Sutherland) helps him to acquire a secret private collection of master paintings.

It is a smart, precise, romantic, mysterious movie with an outstanding music score composed by Ennio Morricone, and if you have chance to see it - don't miss it!