Woman in Gold (U.S. Rated PG-13)
Cast: Helen Mirren, Ryan Reynolds, Tatiana Maslany
Genre: Drama
Dwight's Rating:

Stolen art and the Nazis; that's the subject of yet another film -- at least the second in just two years. Last year, it was the somnolent "Monuments Men". The sheer mind-numbingness of that production would lead many to wonder why one would want to delve into that topic again, and so soon. But with "Woman in Gold", this time we are treated to is a much more compelling story.

Sixty years after fleeing Vienna, Maria Altmann (Helen Mirren), an elderly Jewish woman, attempts to reclaim family possessions that were seized by the Nazis. Among them is a famous portrait of Maria's beloved Aunt Adele, the "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I" by noted Austrian artist Gustave Klimt. Maria hires young lawyer Randy Schoeberg (Ryan Reynolds) to recover the painting, embarking on a lengthy battle, as the entire nation of Austria considers the "Woman in Gold" a national treasure. That still doesn't necessarily sound like the most exciting movie. But this based-on-a-true-story tale is very well done, and primarily because of the always-spellbinding Helen Mirren.

The story hops between the early 2000s and flashbacks to the Nazis' arrival in Vienna. Canadian actress Tatiana Maslany (TV's "Orphan Black") plays young Maria, and is also quite good, as we witness some very tense moments between her family and Nazi officers. The court scenes dealing with the battle over the artwork also produce some interesting moments.

"Woman in Gold" opened in the USA in April, and premiered here locally as part of a special BIFF (Bahamas International Film Festival) one-night screening last week at Galleria JFK. It then played over this past weekend and throughout this week at the new Island House Cinema here in New Providence. As of this writing, it was only scheduled for one-week, but let's keep our fingers crossed that Galleria will bring it back at some point, as it is better than many other movies in theaters at this time of year.

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