The Best Offer - Das höchste Gebot

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)

Tornatore ist genauso wie sein Hauptheld eine Art Museumsexponat, welchem das Informationszeitalter wie ein hinterhältiger verwundeter Feind und der Film als intimer Raum der Gewissheit erscheinen muss. Emotional gesehen hat der Film im (absichtlich) übertriebenen zweiten Drittel aufgehört, mich zu berühren, die Wendung ist gut durchdacht und gut vorbereitet, der Schluss unnötig in die Länge gezogen und wörtlich. Exzellente Schauspieler (Duette Rush - Sturgess / Rush - Sutherland dekorativ), visuell ein großes Prunkstück (der Verweis auf Sorrentino ist kein Zufall, er und Tornatore glauben immer noch an die Kraft unnötiger Gesten), die musikalische Untermalung ist vielleicht etwas zu sentimental. Ein angenehmes Museum der Nostalgie, Dummheit und defensiver Distanz zur Realität. Die Motive der dreizehnten Kammer, des Automaten sowie des wahrheitssagenden Zwergs haben mir an dieser etwas mechanischen Metapher der Unsicherheit, Kreativität und Zerstörungskraft der Emotionen am meisten gefallen. (11.09.2013)

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. (06.07.2013)

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... (21.02.2014)

What a phenomenal film fake. It's not about the finale or the structure of the screenplay, whose twist is predictable from halfway through. Focus on the captivating camera, life the themes and truths, Geoffrey Rush's performance, and the pure emotions. A film about love with all its positives and negatives, it only matters whether it works out or not. And at the same time, it points out that nothing may be as it initially seems. Absolutely complex, a masterpiece. (14.04.2014)

So… Auf meiner imaginären Kinoerlebnis-Liste des Jahres 2013 kann ich bei "Ein absolut toller NEUER Film ohne Spezialeffekte oder Action“ einen Haken setzen. Den Haupthelden, der vom ausgezeichneten Geoffrey Rush gespielt wird, habe ich so gut verstanden wie schon lange keine Figur mehr. Das ist wahrscheinlich der Grund, warum mich das Ende so berührt hat. Die großartige Musik von Morricone, ein unerwarteter, aber magischer Ausflug nach Prag, ein bis ins Detail durchdachtes Drehbuch. Kurzum, eine nächste Delikatesse von Giuseppe Tornatore.__PS: Ich habe wahrscheinlich noch nie in einem Nachspann eine so lange Liste von genutzten Bildern gesehen.__PPS: Je weniger man über die Handlung vorher weiß, desto besser. (25.09.2013)

This is a movie that absolutely blew me away with its ending. I thought it would be just a specific romance, but it had so many additional elements. Whether it was the auction, one of the first robots, or that final twist that really settled with me. Giuseppe Tornatore continues to show that he has what it takes to make interesting films. This one turned out well, thanks to the great Geoffrey Rush. (28.04.2014)

It's a shame about the predictability in the last half hour, because there's really only one possible conclusion after the room (room with a capital R) is revealed. The first ninety minutes, however, are brilliant in terms of building the mysterious atmosphere, aided of course by Morricone's strangely minimalist yet perfectly fitting soundtrack. Despite the final predictability, however, this is an interesting contribution to the genre that mystery drama lovers should definitely not miss. (28.04.2019)