The Best Offer

A very, very interesting and in a way mysteriously engaging conversational drama. The excessive running time and the final minutes are a bit of a problem, the film drags a bit after the shocking and breathtaking twist is revealed and there’s no literal explanation, but otherwise it's a hell of a suffocating load of dialogue with great actors, unexpected plot developments and one of the biggest and most unexpected twists in the history of cinema. A very fine piece of work. (11/09/2023)

I wasn't attracted to the film at first (art, drama, romance are not my thing), but Giuseppe Tornatore is awesome, and there is little that disappoints in his direction. The film has charming sets, antiques and furniture, decent actors and although it’s slower, the final twist is unbeatable. 80% (06/11/2016)

The beauty of hidden paintings hanging on the walls, the increasing tension of art auction participants in proportion to the rising price of their sought-after treasures to enrich their collections, the mystery of artifacts from old mechanisms, and above all, the secrets that people hide behind the tightly guarded mask of their faces and carefully controlled emotions, behind the facade of their status and social relationships. Tornatore plays with his protagonist as well as with his viewers. Although I roughly figured out where the game was heading halfway through, surprisingly, I didn't detract anything from the exceptionally high final impression. It's worth watching the film for the top craftsmanship, Tornatore's perfectionism, the fascinating performance of veteran actor Geoffrey Rush, the atmosphere of a neglected noble palace, and the process of discovering what lies beneath the layer of dust, old colors, and words. The film is actually a story about (self)love, late realization, and late regrets. And last but not least, it's also about hope, because as we know, hope dies last. I had the opportunity to watch The Wolf of Wall Street and this film in one day, and the slow-paced Tornatore triumphed emotionally over Scorsese. Overall impression: 90%. I would immediately go to Prague to see if Virgil is still waiting there... (22/02/2014)

I like movies like this one. I like it when the movie is playing with me and I love stories that can knock me off my feet. And I feel like I have to praise the things that all the users here criticized in their reviews. The director shot a beautiful, mystery story that’s amazing in the very essence of its premise. Geoffrey Rush puts on an acting class and the director Tornatore shows some excellent filmmaking craft and Ennio Morricone wraps it all into some amazing music. It almost seems that this movie cannot go wrong because it was handled by the best in the business. And if it really does look like it was, it makes me all the happier that the movie was shot in Prague of all places. I mean the finale in the Mother of Cities is as magical as it can be. It’s a beautiful and border-line fantastic experience that made me feel really strange afterwards. (04/01/2014)

I am sincerely sorry for the staff of that dive of a Prague beer bar Pivnice U Milosrdných; I can just see how tourists look in there curiously and then wonder “where has that sumptuous, stylish interior from that great but really depressing movie gotten to?" And I hope that Polanski sees it (the movie, not the beer) to learn in just half an hour what an adaptation of Club Dumas should look like. (07/07/2013)