The stolen painting by Rembrandt van Rijn,
newly discovered only last week,
continues to elude police.
A massive manhunt has been mounted,
for the murderer of noted Japanese art collector, Tomado Agachi.
Police have issued warnings to be on the lookout for an American.
Harry Donovan, believed to be their chief suspect in the case.
According to Chief Inspector, Deeks, of the Metropolitan Police,
Mr. Donovan is said to have seized the painting in an argument with Mr. Agachi
who was then shot and killed as Mr. Donovan escaped
with the priceless work of art.
Highlight. Mid-20th century. Permanent collection, Kunsthaus, Munich.
Study of Alene. Mid-19th century.
Permanent collection, Cambridge Institute of Fine Arts.
Flowered Mind. Privately owned on permanent loan
to the Bergen National Gallery.
Boulevard of Peasants. Late-19th century.
And the Ice Cream Man...
That's... that's great. Thank you, John.
I think we've seen enough.
So everything one of these copies was done by the same man?
Excuse me, they're not copies.
They're all quite original. But they are all fakes.
Ah, remarkable.
And all painted by the same man... Harry Donovan.
Why haven't we heard of him before?
Because he's clever.
He doesn't do big names like Leonardo and van Gogh.
So it's third or fourth tier names
that don't attract attention.
He flies under the radar.
Well... He is amazing.
Well, you asked for the best.
And he's considered to be the best in the world.
Which leaves just one final question...
Where do we find him?
Hey, enjoy yourself.
Fantastic. Nice to see you.
Joel, you made it.
And you promise to buy some paintings, okay? All right.
Enjoy. Nice to see you.
You're looking well. You're looking great.
Harry, guy, what're you doing here?
I got something for you.You're kidding.
Why would I kid you?
No, I mean, it's... It's marvelous.
Look, I've got a gallery full of people. Uh...
Is there any way we can do this tomorrow?
No, I'm busy tomorrow.
You want this or not?
Yeah, okay.
It's beautiful. Exquisite.
Yeah.
Well, Harry, Your fakes are better, aren't they?
Maybe that's part of your problem.
No.
Part of my problem is I'd like my money.
Here. Maybe you want to count it.
No, I trust you.
Hey, could you do another one for me?
Harry? No.
Why?
Because I'm doing my own stuff.
Because you're light.
What?
You're light.
We said 3,500.
No, you said 3,500. I said 4,000.
Since I know you wanna turn it for 90.
Erm, hey, look. Wait.
Wait. Hey, here.
Okay?
Hey, if you have anything else, call me, okay?
Hey, Picasso. Where's my rent?
Oh, live it up, Trump.
Is that it? Yeah.
You're late.Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I'm gonna have to bill you for the hour. I've been waiting.
I'll give you 50 for the wait.
Are you ready?
Forget it.
What?
I'm finished.
We haven't even started.
Do you want to work later?
Please leave.
Harry Donovan, I presume?
We deal primarily in 20th century artists.
Now, one of our clients, a private collector from Korea...
Hey...
Not very polite.
...from Korea.
Recently made a number of purchases from us.
They were minor works by modern masters.
So what?
So my clients retained me to find an important work
by an old master.
Well, is there any other kind?
As you can imagine, there's very little available to buy.
Most old masters are locked away
in the permanent collections of a few museums.
Well, you got a big problem there.
Good luck to you and good bye.
We're here because we want the best.
And we're prepared to pay for it.
$50,000 US.
You speak English.Against $500,000 on delivery.
$500,000 for what?
Mr. Donovan...
I want you to paint me a Rembrandt.
Only Rembrandt can paint Rembrandt.
Yes, well, under the circumstances.
Can you help me? No.
Why not?
Because with modern testing, it's almost impossible.
That and...
Hey, I'm not a shoemaker.
I don't deal with slobs off the street.
I work with people that I know. You can leave now.
It's a circular problem...
Do I have to knock your ass down stairs?
No, no, gentlemen...
Um, we'll be staying at the Carlyle until next Sunday.
Think it over.Watch your fingers.
You ever hear of these men, Alistar Davies, Iain Ill.
Lascelles Gallery.
They're big art dealers. You're in some pretty fancy company.
They want me for a job.
Rembrandt.
Rembrandt, huh?
I'm moving up in the world.
Well, that's a matter of opinion.
You think I shouldn't do it?
It's not a question of "shouldn't."
The question is that, you promised me
you're gonna get rid of this forgery shit.
That's the point.
Yeah, well, these guys are real art lovers,
and 500,000 is a nice round number, so...
Can I ask you a question?
What about your own show?
Remember that?
"My own show."
What the hell do you want?
I'd like to see an original Harry Donovan hangin' in the Prado one day.
Shit.
Not in your lifetime.
I can sit down, for Christ sakes! I'm not a child.
Now...
The Prado, in my opinion,
is maybe...
The greatest art gallery in the world.
All the world goes to Madrid to see the Prado,
and the only way you're gonna hang in that place is, if you're dead.
I mean, Rembrandt even had to be dead.
Then I'll have to settle for five days on the beach in Puerto Rico.
What would you do with half a million dollars, Dad?
That's not the point.
You don't think I could do it.
No, no, that's not the point.$500,000 is the point.
No, it isn't. I'll tell you what the point is.
Maybe it's my fault. Maybe I should've told you...
Dad...... sooner. All right.
What I'm trying to say is... I don't know,
the point is that Harry Donovan should have gone to Italy,
and he should have looked at da Vinci,
he should have looked at Lippi he should've looked at Caravaggio,
he should have let the sculpture of Donatello,
he should've seen them, he should've done something, right?
You know why you don't?
You don't have eyes.
What's going on here, Dad? Why're you beating me up?
I'm not beating you up.
I'm just trying to say that even Rembrandt had to study.
Rembrandt never laid a foot in Italy.
Bullshit. If there was an exhibition of one of the greats
within a 100 miles of Amsterdam, Rembrandt was there.
I'm not Rembrandt, Dad.
You're not even Harry Donovan.
Then you show me.
What?
I said, you teach me.
Why don't you take me to Italy?
You show me all that stuff.
Christ, you're a better painter than I am.
Oh, no. Not anymore.
I can get a car. We'll drive around Italy.
We'll go to Venice, we'll go to Florence, we'll go to Rome.
Then Caravaggio, Michelangelo, Raphael, all of them.
And we'll stay in fancy fuckin' hotels.
Those paupers could never afford.
And that's how we do it. We can do that now.
Dad?
I'm fine.
I'm fine, Harry.
Here's the number of my account in Zurich.
When my first 50,000 clears, that's when I start.
Is there anything else I can do for you, Harry?
Not unless you know a Rembrandt
that's getting restored anywhere in the world.
One might imagine that'll be your job.
Didn't think so.
From now on, don't call me, I'll call you.
The age of Romanticism raised you to cult status.
"The greatest genius ever to put brush to canvas," they called you.
But by the Age of Reason, they considered you an outcast,
your promise unfulfilled.
Chiaroscuro, light from dark.
Delacroix said you were greater than Raphael.
Renoir said "I sniff the gravy, he chews the meat."
And another Dutch painter, who would die penniless,
said you left him staggering.
Vincent said you must have died several times to paint like that.
A case like this, There's only one way to move.
Not to make up something new but to discover something
the experts are already expecting someday to discover.
Something recorded, but lost.
His most moving paintings were self-portraits.
Like an autobiography, they tell a wordless story.
A story of genius and sorrow.
Now one of Rembrandt's most famous sketches
is of an old man who appears blind.
It's speculated he did it in preparation of a full oil portrait
and that portrait has never been found.
It may not even exist.
But according to the inventory at his bankruptcy,
Rembrandt sent two canvasses to Spain by sea.
It's recorded only as a portrait of a man.
No name.
We know the dimensions were 92 by 71 centimeters.
We know the price was 800 Dutch florins.
But the picture disappeared.
Maybe lost at sea, maybe stolen, no one knows.
The trail goes cold and it's been cold now for 350 years.
Disappeared? How?
Who knows? Lost at sea. Burned.
Stolen by Napoleon's generals. Nobody knows.
That's where the trail stops.
The trail stops where?
Somewhere off the northern coast of Spain.
The only record we have is by Van Delenberg,
he was the leading Dutch expert at the time.
He saw the painting before it left Holland.
Described it as the most moving portrait he'd ever seen.
It's a blind man believed to be Rembrandt's father.
The irony being stunning...
The master of light, son of a man who couldn't see.
So I'm going to discover Rembrandt's greatest portrait.
And I'm going to paint it.
Ahhh!
I am sorry. Someone pushed me... It's okay.
Oh! Forget it. Forget it.
I needed some coffee. I was falling asleep.
Well, I'll get you one.No, no, no.
Please.No, no, no.
Please. Are you sure?I'm okay. Yeah.
Yeah.Oh!
Are you an artist?
Er... No, I'm a student.
Ah, me too.
How do you like the book?
I don't like books.
Just look at the pictures?
Yeah, ever since I was a little boy.
Well, should I tell you something funny about that book?
Well, there's nothing funny about a 900-page book.
Any author that needs 900 pages to get to their point
shouldn't be allowed near a typewriter.
Well then, maybe you shouldn't read it.
Yeah, well... I have to. Homework.
Well, study hard.
Thanks for that coffee.
Perfect.
Excuse me. Oui, monsieur?
Do you speak English? Yes, I do.
This painting? It was removed this morning.
Why? Restoration.
Where is that? On the mezzanine.
Yeah. Er... Tringham.
See.Mmm.
Yeah, I have to meet some people in there. I didn't know that.
It's impossible. No, no, no.The painting...
Er... they said that it was gonna be here.
They said it's gonna be... Is there someone else here I can talk to?
The supervisor is not here.
Look, I've come all the way from America...
You must go now.
I will have to call security. Bonjour, madam.
Hey, excuse me?
Yeah, hi, hi...
Hello... Monsieur, monsieur, monsieur.
Cafe, right? Remember me from the cafe?
Can you do me a favor? I must get in this room...
...to see a painting being restored.
I'm having a little trouble with my credentials.
Oh, well, come with me, I'll take you...
Thank you.You're welcome.
She said you were a professor?
Harry.Marieke.
Hi. You...
Are staff here, Marieke?
No, no. A student. And you?
I'm working on a book.
Oh. I thought you don't like books.
I hate my work.
What's your book about? Dutch masters.
What aspect?
Portraits.Oh.
Has it been retouched?
No, no. It's still untouched.
What do you feel?
About what? The painting.
It's not bad.
Not bad?
Come on, Professor, you can do better than that.
What do you feel?
What do I feel?
It's one of the last great paintings by one of the last great painters.
It sold for 80 bucks, while he died broke, in debt, alone...
Unrecognized...
Unable to even buy one of his own paintings. That's what I feel.
What do you feel? MAN: Marieke.
Excuse me.
Harry?
Harry? Here.
Come have a drink with us.
Oh, no. I got...
Come on.
You know what Fromentin said to a class once?
He said that "Rembrandt doesn't have
"anything like the attraction of a van Dyck, Frans Hals or even Rubens."
You're right. At first sight,
his work can be very displeasing.
I remember,
that just before he died, Fromentin, you know what he said?
He said that Rembrandt has all the subtlety of a dull guillotine.
Don't you agree, Professor?
Actually, I think Fromentin didn't know what the fuck he was talking about.
I beg your pardon?
I just don't understand why you guys have to sit here
and piss on other people, let alone Rembrandt.
Professor Scheerding
proved the painting "The Man with the Golden Helmet"...
Is just a cheap fake.
I'm sure you know that in 1930
there were over 800 supposed Rembrandts.
And now we're down to 241,
thanks to you and your friends. And dropping.
So, bully for you.
Every school kid's favorite picture is now junk
because some self-appointed windbag said so.
The problem is, in 10 years time,
there's not gonna be any Rembrandts, just a pile of theses.
We said something to offend you?
Me? I'm never offended by flatulence.
I just move away from its smell. Bye.
Excusez-moi.
An American asshole.
There.
It must feel good to get rid of all that, huh?
All that what? Anger.
I'm not angry.
Just something out of your childhood?
No, just some fun.
That's a sad way to have fun.
Now is this why you followed me all the way out here
to tell me about my sad childhood?
No.
But I wonder why you act like one.
Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.
I'm sure you have better things to do with your time.
Such as?
Listen, it's not...
Now, I'm hungry.
Want to get something to eat?
Oh, merde, I forgot my keys again.
We won't get in my room if he doesn't wake up.
Oh!
Hey.
Where're you going?
I have to go.
I'm so late.
Are you married or something?
Married?
No.
But I have to be in Venice, like, this afternoon.
I hope you realize this is not my...
Nightly routine.
I think maybe you're teasing.
No, I'm not.
You want to have some dinner?
I can't.
Okay.
Bye.
I have to rush.
You just leave the key at the desk.
It's beautiful, isn't it?
Actually...
It's terrible, but I love this frame.
Harry Donovan.
I can have some of these resins for you tomorrow.
Raw umber, burnt sienna. It's no problem.
But for damar, or sandarac...
I need them all by Friday.
Friday!
I also need a complete chemical breakdown on these varnishes.
Okay. Anything else?
I need 20 grams of lead white.
Lead white? And it has to be over 160 years old.
So the radioactive half-life is down to zero.
Can you get it for me?
You know, this kind of order will raise a lot of eyebrows.
Half now.
Half on delivery.
"Red lakes, cochineal, lead-tin yellow.
"Bone-black." You have here vermillion?
Pure vermillion. No extenders.
No one uses it.
Very difficult.
For azurite pigment...
Cobalt blue is okay?
No. No cobalt blue, no blue manganese.
Azurite.
Azurite? Very, very old stuff.
It was cheap 300 years ago...
How much?
50 grams for...
600 marks.
Done.
You should be able to extract 20 grams worth of lead white from this.
I need genuine, badger hair brushes.
Two dozen in this size.
Ox hair, squirrel hair and a half-dozen in these red sable.
Where are you?
Amsterdam.
Oh. How is it?
Expensive.
I was in Amsterdam. I think it was...
It was 1951...
And I remember the guilder was 4.8 to the dollar.
I'm getting 1.7
You're lucky you're getting something
besides cheese from the Dutch, you know that? Yeah.
How's it going? HARRY: Good. Yeah.
Painting away.
You being straight with me?
Yeah.
Miss you, Dad.
You what? HARRY: Miss you, Dad.
Yeah, well, you know I'm...
I'm sorry.
Sorry for what? Nothing. Nah, I just...
I'm a little tired, you know, these things cost a lot of money,
these phone calls. So why don't we just...
So let's kind of break them up.
Gimme a call in a few days, okay?
Yeah...
All right, I'll see you.
Good-bye.
Harry?
So, 350 years later,
we pick up the trail of Rembrandt's lost masterpiece.
The boat sailed from Rotterdam to San Sebastian, Spain.
So, we were within a 40-mile radius
of where the trail might've gone cold.
Do you have a local farmer?
Taken care of.
So, let's see what he's going to find in his cellar, shall we?
It's been baked at 225 degrees, three times.
Rembrandt usually did three versions
of the same painting, one on top of the other.
That'll show up on the X-rays.
Which is exactly what they expect to find,
exactly what they're dying to find.
It's incredible.
Marvelous. It's stunning!
It's payday.
I love the little rip, Harry.
Great touch.
You've thought of everything, except one thing.
The signature? DAVIES: Exactly.
I thought of it. I thought better of it.
Oh, why was that?
'Cause it's too obvious.
Rembrandt didn't even sign half his stuff,
and every idiot con man around the world signs all his fakes.
They're looking for that.
It's smarter not to give it to them.
Smarter for you but dumber for us.
I mean, the signature alone's worth $5 million if the painting is any good.
And you'd rob Fort Knox for $100 million
and still bend over to pick up a quarter,
which is dangerously dumb
and I hate working with the dumb.
The only reason you won't sign it
is because until you do, you've committed no crime.
Well, I'm not here to smooth your exit.
Now, sign the painting!
I've done hundreds of fakes, all over the world.
Signed, dated, initialed, unsigned. I know art experts.
You don't tell them what you have. You let them tell you.
Call Richard Bright and Andrew Westerbrook.
Invite them to Spain at my expense to see my new find.
Tell them we suspect it may be an uncatalogued...
Diaz de la Pena.
Now let's go see our Spanish tiller of the earth.
What's his name? Juan Del Campo.
Make a deal with him.
A generous 40 bucks.That's right.
Gracias.
Juanita.
There you have it, peasant fantasy day.
50,000 pesetas for selling us an oil painting
he never had, found in his cellar.
Where's my 50,000 pesetas?
Let's see what our London experts say first, shall we?
If it passes muster with them, you'll be paid in full.
Cash on delivery.Of a Rembrandt.
But I don't have a Rembrandt yet, there's no signature.
Until somebody tells me otherwise,
I have a bloody Diaz de la Pena, don't I?
Are you still teaching?
But it might be an early, uncatalogued Diaz de la Pena.
Ah!
Yes, an uncatalogued de la Pena would be wonderful, wouldn't it?
Hello. Welcome.
Where's the champagne? Behind you, Alistar.
Thank you.
Gentlemen, good health.
Cheers.Good health.
Everybody ready?
That's not de la Pena.
It's not?
Where did you say you bought this?
Thought I might've discovered an old Spaniard.
Well, it is a discovery.
It's not an old Spaniard.
It's Dutch.
This is a Rembrandt.
Are you serious?
No way.
Harry, you'll get paid on approval.I don't get paid on approval!
I get paid on delivery, which is now!
My client's not going to pay $5 million
for a Rembrandt without a Dutch opinion.
Don't worry, Harry.
As soon as we get back to London, you'll be paid in full.
Provided we have favorable opinion.
Jesus!
This is the second time in my entire career,
that have I participated in a discovery of this magnitude.
The van Dyck in Goteborg.
No, that was Pieneman.
I authenticated the Triptych in the Basilica de Fieschi.
You aren't going to believe this.
Shall we telephone my client?
No bloody way.
We won't sell it to your Korean friend for 5,000,000
when we can make £30,000,000 at auction.
Auction?
What?
Well, I know they'll recommend it but...
A public auction's dangerous.
I think we'd be putting our reputation at risk.
Really. Is that what you were thinking?
Well, Iain, my reputation isn't worth £30,000,000.
How much did you think yours was worth?
Why do you let him abuse you so?
Well, it's called discipline.
He disciplines you?
Oh, no, no. I'm biding my time.
I'm happy to let him think he's in control.
When the time's right, he's gone.
Then we can do our gallery in Tokyo.
You got your passport ready?
We are 48 hours from Italy.
No, I'm not kidding. I have the tickets right here in my hand.
That's great.
Dad? We're going to do it all.
We'll do everything.
All right.
Bye bye.
Wednesday's a bank holiday in Switzerland.
So you can wire the money into my account on Tuesday.
That'll be fine.
Where's the fourth? You said there was going to be four.
I have no idea. We're still waiting.
Well, screw him.
First come, first served. We're gonna be down to ginger ale and bread soon.
Sorry I'm late, we've been circling Heathrow.
Well, you're here now. Don't worry about it.
Sorry. Hello. Hi.
Enchanted.
You're here. Hi.
Oh.
Oh, my God!
It's magnificent.
As soon as I layed eyes on it, I knew.
Jan thought it might be Bol...
DUTCH EXPERT
Do you have any doubts? MARIEKE: Well...
Based purely on connoisseurship, I'd say...
It's brilliant.
But it's not Rembrandt.
What?
I don't feel it's Rembrandt.
Why?
I don't know. I don't have
any objective criteria to base it on.
I just don't quite get the same feeling
as when I look at others.
DUTCH EXPERT
It's stunning.
I'd like to think it's authentic.
But I feel it's not. But...
Hi.
I wouldn't want to go on record
until I'd seen the results of chemical analysis and X-ray testing.
We asked you here for your considered artistic opinion,
based on your connoisseurship.
We'll be pleased to provide you with all the data you desire.
I don't want to take up more of your time.
No, no. Heavens no. I'm sure you must be exhausted.
Aaron, will you see the professor to a taxi?
Well... Sorry I have to rush again.
It's really unfortunate.
You have my mobile number.
Bye.
Well, gentlemen, more champagne?
I understand what she's saying.
Well... A student? What?
You told me you were a student.
I told you the truth.The truth?
You're M.M. Van Den Broeck, you phony.
Which you neglected to mention when I saw you in Paris
reading your book for the 15th time.
It was the finish of my father's research.
Yeah, yeah, but you wrote it.
You song and danced me at the musee.
I was a student in Paris.
I was studying art restoration, professor.
I never said I was a professor. You did.
Look...
What happened in Paris was a mistake.
I'm sorry.
I must go now.
I'm late for Covent Garden.
What, the fucking opera?
You breeze in for two minutes to see Rembrandt then 4 hours at Rigoletto?
La Boheme.
And sadly I can't even stay for all of it
because I have to catch my train back to Venice tonight at 10:00.
Will you listen to me?
Alistar Davies knew this was a Rembrandt all along.
He sent me to do research.
He knew it wasn't a Diaz de la Pena.
He just used that line to steal the painting away from the Spaniards.
The only reason he's got you all here
is to make him look honest.
But I'm not so sure it is a Rembrandt.
If it's not a Rembrandt, what is it? I don't know.
Maybe a student, maybe someone from his circle.
Maybe a nobody.A nobody?
What do you mean a nobody?
Look, it's too perfect.
Composition, eyes, texture, brushwork, everything.
But I feel something missing that makes me doubt it.
But mine is only one opinion.
You have three others. That's enough to get you to auction.
What do you mean, auction?
Covent garden.
What do you mean, auction?
I know it's disappointing. That's three out of four.
That's none out of 4.
It's one opinion.
It's the one that counts, you idiot!
She's the expert's expert.
She's chief consultant to the Rembrandt committee! We're dead!
Harry.
Harry, what're you doing?
I signed on for private placement, not public auction.
Why not go for 30,000,000 instead of five?
Because going public is for pigs, like you.
That, and asking every fool to stick his nose up the ass of this thing.
Doesn't your work bear scrutiny?
If I thought it was smart to go public, I wouldn't need a fucking middleman, would I?
You're a middleman.
Any idiot can paint a picture, it takes genius to sell it!
You wouldn't know art, if Michelangelo stuck his mall stick up your ass.
Oh, really?
You filthy pimp.
Just give me the painting.
Harry, don't!
Ahhh.
You are a worm in the stomach of every painter that ever lived.
You bastard!
Iain...
Ring the police!
Now!
Harold Donovan?
What do you want?
Inspector Deeks.
We'd like a moment of your time, if you don't mind
I mind.
Where were you, sir, at approximately 9:00 this evening?
Right here.
Do you know Mr. Alistar Davies, sir? No.
Have you been in the Lascelles gallery at any time tonight?
That's not what Mr. Davis says, sir.
Nor what a Mr. Iain Ill says.
Nor what a professor Marieke Van Den Broeck says.
What'd she say?
That you were there observing a Rembrandt.
Rembrandt?
She said Rembrandt?
Among other things.
Well, you got me confused.
Which means I'm drunker than I thought.
Cancel that last Guinness, please.
Will you step outside with us, please sir?
It's raining.It's stopped.
We'd like to talk to you about the contents of that tube.
Talk away.
But the tube's mine.Not according to Mr. Alistar Davies.
He's full of shit now, ain't he?
Put the tube down and turn around.
What for?
Please, turn around.
Hello.
So now it's a Rembrandt.
I never said it was.
Can you do me a favor, keep this intuition bullshit to yourself for a couple of days?
What? Just two days. I need to sell this painting.
The police pulled me out of the opera...
They want to bust me for stealing, which I didn't do.
Aren't you leaving something out? What?
The man you shot in the gallery.
What?
Who did I shoot?
Please tell me it was Davies.
You killed that man. You murdered that Japanese art dealer.
No, I didn't.
Yes, you did.No, I did not! Hey!
Listen!
I'll miss my train.
No, you won't.
Whoa!
Excuse me, sorry.
Anyone who can help us...
Hang on.What's the matter now?
Have you got my passport? No, you've got the passports.
Tickets, please.
Ow!
The breakfast bell will be rung at 8:00.
Miss?
Misprint.
Ah. Right sir, have a nice journey.
Help!
Please!
Don't do that! Or you'll kill me?
I didn't kill anyone. I don't have a gun. I don't want to hurt you...
But I will.
Now, I'm gonna sell that painting
because as far as the world is concerned it's a Rembrandt,
and the only person that thinks that it's not, is you.
So you give me 48 hours before you kill it. Two days, then you're free.
You'll never be able to sell it.
Okay, Professor.
That's great!
We have full alert at all the airports, ferries and train stations.
We contacted the FBI for anything they've got on him.
Passport.
Shit! Sergeant, get that!
What is it?
If you're really innocent, you'd be stupid to run like this.
I didn't murder anyone!
Don't tell me, tell the police.
Let justice run its course.
If justice ran its course...
...van Gogh wouldn't have died broke in a nut house...
...while Irisessold for 50,000,000 to some insurance company.
So, van Gogh gives you the right to steal this picture and sell it.
No, Doctor.
What gives me the right is I didn't steal it.
I painted it.What?
I said, I painted it.
I don't believe you.
I don't care what you believe.
What are you saying?
I'm saying, it is my painting because I painted it. So I'm gonna sell it.
I see, all that, that gallery, this picture, this is just one big fraud.
Fraud?
When will you realize all of this art crap is a fraud?
Otherwise how could the same piece be worth $10 million or zip based on a signature?
Rembrandt is priceless, Donovan is worthless. That's not art.
That's autographs.
It has been known for a gallery owner to arrange
to have a picture stolen for himself.
To what possible end may I ask?
The insurance money perhaps.
Ridiculous. It's not insured at all. We're out of pocket £20,000,000.
More importantly, we've lost our closest colleague, Mr. Agachi.
There's evidence.
Donovan and Van Den Broeck knew each other previously.
At least as far back as a month ago in Paris.
My God.
They're in collusion.To do what, sir?
To fleece us.
By calling it a fake, I'd have to sell it at pennies on the pound...
Then they'd sell it at full price.
And failing that, Donovan simply stole it and...
Murdered Tom in cold blood...
Right in front of us like some maniac.
Professor Van Den Broeck said she was unconvinced of the painting's authenticity.
Inspector, if it weren't absolutely genuine,
then why would they steal it?
Excuse me sir, may I see your passport, please?
Porter, why is the train stopped?
We're backed up sir, Police search, sir.
I'll take this one.
Porter! Come unlock this door.
Two days. Two days.
Okay.
Hello!
Could I get two pints, please?
Two pints, you say? Right.
Do you have a telephone?
A phone?
You've come to the right place for a phone. I'll tell you that.
We have here the original restored phone box,
used by Lord Mountbatten to call Winston Churchill
on the very night that Field Marshall Montgomery received his command.
There's a plaque.Where is that?
Around and behind.
All right. Come on.
I have a collect call for Felix Dermes
from Harry Donovan.
Go ahead, please.
Felix, yeah, look I got something for you.
A once-in-a-lifetime thing.
Dutch master.
Can you get it here to Geneva?
Look are you interested?
We'll be happy to have a look.
Help!
No, Felix, hold it.
Open up!
Help!
Stop it!
You bastard.
Be careful.
You bloody Yank bastard.
Destroyed a bit of England's history!
Come here!
Welcome, ladies. Just don't mind.
Now, my dear, that was rude.
I was in the middle of a phone call. Are you trying to get us killed?
What are you doing with me? I'm in this paper like some criminal.
You don't believe I killed that guy.
It's easier than believing that you painted that picture.
Oh, right, you are the expert, aren't you.
I didn't paint the Rembrandt, it isn't the Rembrandt.
I killed the guy, that I didn't kill.
Oh, and we didn't make love in Paris.
Not to mention you killed Mr. Churchill's phone box.
It seems the door was stuck. Wasn't it? And I tell you.
If that happens again, I'll ruin you.
It's going to take a life time to clear your name because,
I'll tell them you were in it with me from the beginning.
I swear to God, I'll turn your precious reputation into dog shit.
What? Dog shit! Poo-poo.
Get it? From now on, we are friends. Let's act that way.
You don't have any friends.Oh, yeah, why's that?
You're an ogre. You don't like people.What?
You don't like people.Oh, I like people.
Name one.
I like people.
One more day with me, while I fence this painting.
You spend one more day with the ogre.
I'm shivering, I'm so cold.
Come on, move along here!
Did nobody ever tell you about stealing?
What's that rule again?
You all right? Great.
You feel hot.
Do you have any money?
Why, you want to steal it?
Yes.Too bad, 'cause I... I lost my purse in the train.
MariekeThank you.
Kid's got talent.
Hmm.
Are you sure that's Gainsborough?
It's killing me to part with it.
So, what are you asking for it?
Good. Yeah, thanks.
Guess what? Classic car.
Austin-Healy stolen, Canterbury.
Did they get a license plate?
691-TDT.
It's ampicillin V.K.
500 milligrams, so just take one every four hours.
You know a lot about pharmaceutical.
My grandfather.
He was a pharmacist? Yeah.
Your father too?
No, a painter.
Ashcan School.
Sloan, Bellows, Hopper.
He taught me how to draw.
I taught me how to make a living.
When did you first make a living?
My mother had died, and my father was scraping by illustrating auto manuals.
Painting when he could.
He did in oil. Workers in a machine shop.
It was quite a painting.
Couldn't sell it for 10 bucks.
So one day, I took it. I fooled around with it for a couple of hours.
I took it downtown and sold it that day for a grand.
How did you feel?
Sick.
I think he knew.
Then why didn't you quit?
Because I was young.
Money. Denial. I don't know.
I met the wrong guy at the right time.
Friend of my dad's. Not a very good painter, but quite a hustler.
He taught me every style in the world.
Except your own.
Is everything fake?
No.
His work's been hanging in the Scottish National gallery
for 3 years and...
Excuse me.
We have some good news for you, sir.
Come through.
We confirmed your accounted picture was uninsured.
So, where's my painting?
We believe he's still got it, sir.
You believe.
Apparently, they got off the French-bound train last night
just ahead of our own people.
We believe they're still in Britain.
But for all we know, sir,
he could mail it anywhere in the world at any time.
It's a Rembrandt.
He'd never mail it.
I'll mail it to you.
It's hotter than a pistol, Harry.
Nobody will touch it.
Oh, come on... Are you telling me...
Every time they steal the Mona Lisa
there's 100 people waiting in line to buy it.
You telling me this is hotter than that?
Every time they stole theMona Lisa
they never killed anybody.
Yeah, but Dimi...
Dimi...
Don't call me again, Harry
I don't want to buy your problem.
Fuck!
There's a million dollars out there for this picture
and that prick Davies has fixed it.
The entire legitimate, semi-legitimate
and semi-illegitimate market is dead to me.
You know you're losing your mind.
You're as ravenous as the vultures you hate.More.
Stop pretending to be some martyr outside of it.
Because you are it.You're finished?
With all this outrage, you could be signing your own name.
My father signed his own name.Shut up.
This is the only thing I have to give him.
You're not doing this for your father, Harry.
You blame your father for your failure.
What do you know about failure, Doctor?
You inherited your racket.
You were given your library gigs.
So, what do you know about failure? Maybe nothing.
Maybe I'm exactly what you say I am,
a woman stuck in a book, a safe place.
That's right.Failure's a safe place for you, Harry.
Doing your own work. That's a risk.
But you don't use your talent.
You simply don't have the guts!
Coming from the woman who never took a risk in her life.
I'm taking one right now.
I'm not an artist, Harry, but I love art.
Will you do me a favor?
Don't talk to me about art, don't even say it.
Art was my dog's name.
That's obvious. There's no real beauty in you. Not really.
You're in it for the paycheck.Who isn't?
You think the garbage man ain't in it for the paycheck?
'Cause he sure as hell ain't in it for the garbage.
You're talking about a job, Harry.
I'm talking about a gift.
Right, if you're going to London, drink up!
The bus is leaving in two minutes.
Yes or no, Colin?
There's a fellow in Birmingham, name of Offul.
He'll fence just about anything, but he cuts pretty deep.
How deep?
100,000. Thames bridge. Midnight.
£100,000 for a Rembrandt?
Dollars. Thames bridge. Midnight.
I'll tell you what. I'd rather burn it, you son-of-a-bitch.
If I get caught, I want you to mail this for me.
The London bus
is leaving right now.
Give me 12 hours before you blow the whistle.
Give you 12 hours? Yeah.
I kissed you on a bridge.
We made love under one. I think you could trust me.
That's not what I...
That's not what I said.
Excuse me, love, how much for the painting?
What? That?
It's not for sale.
It's me dad's, isn't it?
Well, pick a high number, dear.
You like it that much?
50 quid, then.
Oh!
Rembrandt van Rijn, I presume.
You got the money?
May I see the goods, my dear?
100,000?
I owe you 100,000.
Did we say dollars or pounds?
What the hell, let's make it pounds.
It's a Rembrandt, after all.
May I owe you a million pounds?
Ugo.
Settle the debt.
It's not a bloody Rembrandt!
It says,
"Rembrandt."
You stupid ass!
Franz Richard Unterberger.
Belgium School.
One of his most important works.
Outside of Belgium.
Ha! If only you'd stuck to Belgian masters.
Hello, John.
Hello, Harry.
It's been a while.
How's your dad? How's Milton?
Not great.
You know, I always maintained that you were the most brilliant I ever saw.
I got to lay off this painting, John.
I'm sorry, Harry.
You're like Moses.
You can see the promised land, but...
You can't set foot in it.
Yes, I can.
Oh, come on, Harry. This is chess.
The grand masters never play it out.
I am not leaving with nothing.
You may leave with less than nothing.
Pray for nothing.
Harry...
I've got to tell you something.
I was the one who put Davies onto you.
I hoped for the best.
I never imagined it would turn out like this.
Forgive me, please.
Harold Donovan...
You're under arrest for murder!
You son-of-a-bitch.
Go get him.
The painting.
Get that painting!
We'll prove that the defendant,
Mr. Harold Donovan,
attempted to participate
in the brokerage of a Dutch master portrait.
That when he realized he would be excluded from the transaction,
he became enraged.
That when he realized he'd be left with nothing,
he stole the masterpiece using violence.
Robbery.
He killed one of his former partners.
Murder.
He resisted arrest.
Assaulted a policeman.
He fled.
And we recovered a Lincoln-Levenson semi-automatic,
photographed and dusted it for fingerprints.
And were there any fingerprints on the handgun?
My Lord, I really must ask Mr. Turley
kindly to stop leading the witness.
I will rephrase the question.
What did you find on the gun?
A thumb smudge on the barrel belonging to Mr. Alistar Davies
and a clear right forefinger
on the trigger and trigger guard belonging to Mr. Donovan.
He's not answering. Would you like to leave a message?
Yeah, yeah.
Please tell him that his son called
and that I...
Hello?
Who was in the gallery?
Tom, Iain and I.
We had just decided to go ahead with our plans
for a private sale to a client of Tom's in Korea,
when suddenly, Mr. Donovan burst in
and demanded the Rembrandt.
Naturally we all protested, but he took the painting.
That's utter bullshit.
Mr. White, would you please
exercise some control over your client?
Professor Westerbrook.
You have had an opportunity
to examine the painting in question, have you not?
I have.And as Regius professor of Fine Art
at St. Matthew's college, Oxford,
and as an advisor on old masters to her majesty, the Queen,
what conclusions have you reached?
In my opinion, the work is indisputably Rembrandt van Rijn.
Masterpiece.
Authentic.Rembrandt.
It's a fake.
Is it possible you might have a personal reason
for not being entirely truthful on behalf of the defendant?
No.
You've said he handcuffed you and kidnapped you.
Yes.
Although, at the time of his apprehension,
I don't believe anyone remembers you wearing handcuffs.
Are you in love with him?
Really, my Lord, perhaps my learned friend could explain
the relevance of this... My lord, it is entirely relevant,
concerning, as it does, the witness's motives in giving evidence here today.
You must answer the question, please.
I did not love him when I first saw and pronounced
this painting not genuine.
And you had no involvement
with him before you saw the painting for the first time?
No.
Really?
When were you last in Paris, professor Van Den Broeck?
Um...
Four months ago.And where did you stay?
L'hotel Lyons.
My lord, with your permission,
I would like to admit this note into court.
Written to the defendant and signed by the witness.
Professor Van Den Broeck,
would you be so kind as to read that note aloud to the court?
"I had to go..."
We cannot hear you, professor!
I suspect, also, the members of the jury
may be having a little trouble with your delightful accent.
Yes, please. Speak up.
"I had to go.
"You were wonderful.
"To R.V.R. Marieke."
Will you tell us, please, what R.V.R. means?
Rembrandt van Rijn.
Thank you, professor.
Professor, I submit that your evidence is worthless
and your credibility highly questionable.
Is my learned friend cross-examining, or is he making a speech?
Call Moritz Scheerding.
She said he was a friend.
He was a patronizing, arrogant bore.
And I can tell you, he does not know his art from his ass.
And, tell us, what were they doing in the bar?
Translation, please!
Making the beast with two backs.
And what does that mean?
Sexual congress, my Lord.
No, no, no.
They were fucking.
When Mr. Agachi stepped forward to prevent you from stealing the painting,
did you fire the gun at Mr. Agachi?
Yes.
But I didn't kill him.
I was trying to make a point.
Look, I had a studio in Amsterdam
and I can prove all this, that... You'll prove what?
That you didn't kill him, it's all part of a conspiracy?
A conspiracy for what?
A conspiracy to commit armed robbery.
Of what?
Rembrandt's portrait of his father.
Except that it's my portrait of my father.
Now, look, I...
They took it away, but I had a picture.
And if you could see it, you'd be able to see that...
What? The eyes.
That I gave it - Mr. Donovan,
please.
The portrait may have but the eyes...
No, I painted my father's eyes and I distorted it.
I painted it over and over in the same way that Rembrandt would.
If you take a look at the X-rays, you'd be able to see that.
Sir...
Have you any idea how many men step forward each year
to claim credit for Hamlet or Beethoven's ninth symphony?
Do you know how many people are convinced they are the Tsar's long lost nephew?
Napoleon? Even Jesus Christ?
Well, I'm not Jesus.
But I painted that painting.
No more questions, my Lord.
What a day! What a day!
What a monumental day!
You know, Harry, you were absolutely right.
Signing that painting would've been a grievous error.
Please accept my sincere apology.
I do hope you know how much I truly admire your work.
Well, not enough to pay for it, but then...
It's all a pile of shit anyway, isn't it?
And as for the public, you see, they're told what's art...
By me.
And you forgot that, Harry.
Or you never knew it.
When this yen-soaked tycoon couldn't wait to throw his money away...
It was because I said the painting
was a steal at 5,000,000.
So...
What in the world were you thinking when you took my Rembrandt?
You could've had half a million...
And a towel at the beach.
Instead, you're here.
Destitute.
Like all the others.
So van Gogh sat in a room
in a mental hospital
painting sunflowers.
You can cut off both your ears...
But unless I say you're a genius...
You're just another lunatic.
Oh, by the way...
This is old news...
But...
I'm sure he died a proud father.
The last time I was with him, he yelled at me.
You know, I should've taken the time.
I didn't get it.
He was sick in his heart.
He never judged me.
Never, ever was anything less than beautiful to me.
He loved you.And I betrayed him.
No.Yeah.
He had a gift for me and I didn't see it in time.
I missed it.
No. What you see now is his gift to you.
We have one last chance.
One thing to do.
My Lord, the defense requests permission
to have the defendant, Mr. Harold Donovan,
demonstrate his expertise here, in open court,
by reproducing the disputed painting.
My Lord, we have just heard from five scientists and other experts.
Having the defendant now, here in court, paint
wouldn't be evidence of anything!
It would be evidence of artistic expertise, my lord.
By recreating the picture in his own hand,
Mr. Donovan can support his claim to authorship of the disputed Rembrandt.
My Lord, even if he reproduced Whistler's Mother here in court,
would that make him Whistler?
My Lord, there is ample precedent for this in the 1947 trial
of the Dutch master forger, Han van Meegeren.
He reproduced his counterfeit Vermeer paintings in open court.
That was in Holland, my Lord.
I really can't see the relevance of the country.
I will permit it.
But, my Lord...
I'm tired of hearing about all this. I want to see it for myself.
Court will adjourn
while you prepare this demonstration.
All rise.
You can forget your membership at my club.
Now we're screwed.
Calm down, you idiot.
Nobody's screwed.
If he succeeds, the painting's worthless.
The whole thing's falling apart.
It took him a whole month to paint it under perfect conditions.
The best he's gonna come up with now is a sketch.
He's going to prove the case for us, Iain.
Right.
Hi.Hello.
You know, when I went to the gallery, there were three of you.
Now there are two.
I guess pretty soon there'll only be one.
Really?
One can't be too careful.
Court is now in session.
Is the defendant ready, Mr. White?
He is, my Lord.
Very well. Let him begin.
What happened to your own show?
Remember that?
You promised you're gonna get rid of this forgery shit.
That's the point.
You're not even Harry Donovan.
Harry!
Harry, come on, please. Go on.
What are you doing?
Has your client finished, Mr. White?
Only Rembrandt can paint Rembrandt.
See, Iain? Nothing to worry about.
We were lucky.
I make my own luck.
Yes, Mr. Turley.
Call Mr. Iain Ill, please.
Now get up there. And try not to make too big a fool of yourself.
Mr. Ill, will you tell us, please, in your own words,
what happened on the night in question?
Yes.
There was a dispute over the sale of the Rembrandt.
Alistar wanted to cut Mr. Donovan out of the deal.
There was an argument.
Mr. Donovan tried to take the painting.
Alistar pulled out a gun.
There was a struggle.
Mr. Donovan got hold of the gun.
He humiliated Alistar...
Fired a shot...
Over Tom Agachi's head...
Missing him...
Stole the painting and ran.
Are you okay, Tom?
Then Alistar picked up the gun...
Covered it with a handkerchief...
Iain...
Tell the police there's been a robbery.
And a murder.
What?
Ahhh!
Who shot Mr. Agachi?
Alistar Davies.
You son-of-a-bitch!
You bastard!
You epitome of fucking wretchedness!
You son-of-a-bitch!
I'll kill you, you bastard!
Clear the public gallery!
Officers, bring that man before the court!
You understand that you will be held in contempt of court
for this very serious and prejudicial outburst.
My Lord, we will request a retrial
based on the nature of this eruption
and its effect on my client's attempt to exculpate himself.
Yes, Mr. White, we will hear those arguments tomorrow.
My Lord, it would be interesting
to know why Mr. Ill found it necessary
to make false statements during the original police inquiry.
Because I was terrified.
I've always been afraid of Alistar.
Always. I'm the only witness to the murder he committed.
I know it would only be a matter of time before he got rid of me, too.
Alistar Davies, I understand that you
have been placed under arrest by the police.
You will be taken from this building in their custody.
And in my view, you should be held without bail until your trial.
Mr. Turley, in view of these developments,
do you still seek a conviction in front of this jury?
We do not, my Lord.
Members of the jury, I will shortly invite you to enter formal verdicts
of not guilty on all outstanding charges.
And Mr. Donovan,
you will be free to leave this court.Thank you.
Clerk, we will take the verdict.
Sold! At £375,000.
Lot 22.
Portrait of a Blind Man by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn.
Subject believed to be
the artist's own father.
Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you.
I'll start the bidding at £4,000,000.
£4,000,000, gentleman on the aisle.
Yeah, will you tell her I called?
I mean, I've tried everywhere, I don't...
Yeah.
Well, tell her I'm here and I'll wait.
But, you know, tell her to come.
Ten million, the gentleman
on the aisle over here.
£10,000,000.
£10,500,000 for the lady in the second row in back.
£18,000,000, the lady on the aisle at the back.
£18,000,000.
£18,500,000, the gentleman in the front row.
£18,500,000.
Could you wait for me, please?
The gavel just fell.
$55,000,000.
Sold to a Hong Kong hotel chain.
Guess where all the money goes?
Don't tell me.
UNICEF?
The owner of the Lascelles gallery of Fine Art, Iain Ill.
I guess he goes home a very rich man.
Maybe.
What do you mean, "Maybe"?
Did you, uh, mail that letter for me?
Yeah.
What about it?
No...
"Maybe" sometimes means maybe not.
Ladies and gentlemen...
My lords, ladies and gentlemen,
a little bit of hush, a little bit of hush, please, please.
Um, it gives me great joy
to welcome you all here on this wonderful evening.
As our great, good friends of many years,
you've seen us through some difficult times.
We'd like to invite you all, in a few weeks,
to the opening of our exciting new gallery in Tokyo!
Of course, we seem to have run out of Rembrandts.
But there's still a lot of fabulous paintings to buy.
So, enjoy yourselves. Cheers, everyone!
Tom, come.
Come meet E.L. Hale, my solicitor.
Thank you.
E.L., meet Tom.
Tom, this is E.L., my solicitor.
Uh, we've... we've got a problem.Oh?
Does the name Juan Del Campo ring a bell?
Del Campo? Nineteenth century flamencoist?
The farmer in whose cellar the Rembrandt was discovered.
Oh, yes, I remember him.
He got an anonymous letter saying you cheated him.
He apparently hired himself a lawyer.
Um...
Under Spanish law,
the government of Spain has the right
to match the purchase price of any painting
deemed a national treasure.
Which this painting
now has been deemed.
Oh, olefor Spain. Well,
forget pounds, I'm quite happy to take it in pesetas.
It's not as simple as that, Iain.
The Spanish courts have ruled he's the painting's true owner.
And he gets all the money.
This is insane.
They can't void a sale just like that.
You're my lawyer, you've got to do something about it.
That painting was sold.
It remains sold. It's just your money, you see,
which faces transfer back to Spain.
All of it.
Mmm!
Very practical.
Thanks to you.
My grandfather remembers you here a few months ago.
Of course, when you sent the letter.
He says you are an angel of our family.
Of the 7,000,000,000 pesetas, the government took two-thirds.
And the church took another half.
But without the letter, he wouldn't have anything.
He wants to give you half.
600,000,000 pesetas.
$5,000,000.
That's very generous.
He wants to embrace you.
You are the angel of the people here.
Chico!
Where's the Rembrandt?
In Madrid. In el Prado, of course.
Think it's a...
Genuine?
What do you ask me for?
Just want to know what you feel...
Professor.
I'm not sure.
It's not signed.