The Best Offer (2012)

Directed by: Giuseppe Tornatore
Country: Italy

Review: Tornatore, best known for his masterpiece “Cinema Paradiso” and responsible for other remarkable films such as “Pure Formality” or “The Legend of 1900”, presents us a curious but ultimately disappointing heist thriller named “The Best Offer”, featuring a Geoffrey Rush in a very good shape. The story follows Virgil Oldman (Rush), a famous and inaccessible auctioneer of antique art, who unexpectedly becomes obsessed with Claire (Sylvia Hoeks), a mysterious client who was always absent due to suffering from agoraphobia. Tornatore shows to know how to set the right mood, filming with refinement and presenting an interesting direction, but sadly the plot revealed too obvious twists to engage. The quarrels and reconciliations between Virgil and Claire, especially before they met in person, never gave the impression of real, and after an hour of ups and downs, the boredom took care of me. I became impatient, waiting for something that could surprise me somehow, and being able to figure out all the characters’ schemes, within a plot too overcooked and often lost in flimsy situations. Even the moments of voyeurism, which usually cause expectation, were ineffective. “The Best Offer” proves a skillful Tornatore behind the cameras but in need of a more accurate and enthralling screenwriting.