Claes Bang (THE SQUARE) stars as Joseph Piller in this captivating dramatic thriller set just after WWII - an all but forgotten true story - about a soldier investigating renowned Dutch artist Han van Meegeren, played by Guy Pearce (LA CONFIDENTIAL), who is accused of conspiring with the Nazis. Despite mounting evidence, Piller becomes increasingly convinced of Han's innocence and finds himself in the unlikely position of fighting to save the life of the colorful man with a m... (Full plot summary below)
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Claes Bang (THE SQUARE) stars as Joseph Piller in this captivating dramatic thriller set just after WWII - an all but forgotten true story - about a soldier investigating renowned Dutch artist Han van Meegeren, played by Guy Pearce (LA CONFIDENTIAL), who is accused of conspiring with the Nazis. Despite mounting evidence, Piller becomes increasingly convinced of Han's innocence and finds himself in the unlikely position of fighting to save the life of the colorful man with a mysterious past. The film also features Vicky Krieps (PHANTOM THREAD).
Leave your thoughts about The Last Vermeer.
| ReelViewsJames BerardinelliWhile the legal stuff provides the film’s crowd-pleasing element, some of the foundational building blocks give The Last Vermeer a little heft, elevating it to a level where one is almost tempted to call it a quasi-art house production. |
| RogerEbert.comNell MinowThe highlight of the film is the trial. Van Meegeren insists he was not collaborating with the Nazis; he was defrauding them. The film takes some significant, unnecessary, and distracting dramatic license and spends too much time on characters and relationships that are not as signifiant but these scenes are powerful. |
| The New York TimesGlenn KennyThe film moves from detective story to courtroom drama with nicely sketched character studies as a bonus. |
| VarietyPeter DebrugeThis isn’t the kind of storytelling that flatters the audience’s intelligence, and yet, spelling things out ensures that viewers who don’t like to work too hard can follow along easily and focus on the film’s other pleasures — namely, Pearce’s performance and the twisty case of the missing “Vermeer.” |
| The Hollywood ReporterStephen FarberDespite the sometimes clumsy exposition, Lyrebird turns out to be an enjoyable melodrama. |
| Movie NationRoger MooreThe courtroom finale, eating up much of the third act, is a corker. And Pearce holds our focus, still or animated, chewing up a scene or so underplaying it he’s still the center of attention. Like the Great Master he is, he knows how to grab the eye and hold its focus, with or without a menacing mustache. |
| Boston GlobeTy BurrIt’s handsomely filmed, well-acted, and hollower than it wants to be, with a mid-movie revelation that rearranges the moral stakes in ways that dampen the telling. |
| Arizona RepublicShaena MontanariNot just an enjoyable story to watch but an educational look into hidden history that seeks to show its never a good idea to paint anyone with a broad brush. |
| The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloThere’s no reason why this couldn’t have been good hokey pseudo-historical fun along the lines of, say, The Imitation Game. (Let’s just ignore that some folks perceived that film as Oscar-worthy.) All it required was putting the exceptional character front and center throughout, rather than shrouding his gift in pointlessly vague mystery. |
| Washington PostMichael O'SullivanIt’s the film’s exploration of the ethical bartering conducted by van Meegeren — not his expertise as a copyist or his skill as a swindler — that linger after the closing credits. |
