The Last Vermeer

By: Jamie Steinberg

The Last Vermeer is the latest World War II drama hitting theaters. For those who don’t know, Adolph Hitler had a penchant for art. Many paintings were stolen by him and his soldiers during the war. This film explores the end of the war and the search to bring these paintings back to their rightful owners and the thieves to justice

We meet Captain Joseph Piller (Claes Bang) in Amsterdam after the Third Reich has been beaten. He is a former fighter for the Dutch Resistance and now wears a Canadian uniform where he has been tasked by the Allies with recovering artwork that was stolen by the Nazis. When a painting by the artist Vermeer (“The Girl With the Pearl Earring”) is discovered in Goering’s possessions it leads to an investigation and the man who sold it to him. Guy Pearce portrays Han van Meegeren who is a painter himself and also a bane on society. The focus of the first half of the film actually dives into who van Meegeren got painting from and why he’s protecting them. The other plot of the film is Piller’s home life. It seems his wife (Marie Bach Hansen) spied on the Nazis during the war and may have gotten a little too close with her work.

Director Dan Friedkin does a great job of bringing out a stellar performance from Guy Pearce. His above-it-all and defensive dialogue make him not just the villain of the film, but also helps keep up the intrigue surrounding the located Vermeer. It is actually the last portion of the film where it becomes a courtroom drama that we see Pearce at his finest in the film.

The Last Vermeer is actually a true story, so it’s nice to see that Friedkin and company did a beautiful job at portraying this tale. It also is thought provoking in the sense you’ll be left wondering whether or not van Meegeren is more of a villain or a hidden hero. I recommend giving this one a viewing and seeing if this film feels like a work of art to you.