With 2020’s The Last Vermeer, we get an unusual tale related to World War II. Based on real events, we head to Holland in the years after that conflict’s conclusion.

Dutch Captain Joseph Piller (Claes Bang) fought for the anti-Nazi resistance, and he now works to find and redistribute art the Germans stole. This leads him to Han van Meegeren (Guy Pearce), a wealthy artist and culture lover.

During WWII, Han hosted fancy soirees and sold valuable Dutch art to the Nazis – or did he? While van Meegeren’s guilt seems tough to dispute, Piller suspects the truth may tell a different story.

As one who remains fascinated by WWII history, I figured Vermeer would be right up my alley. While the subject matter strays from the usual battles and political machinations, it still seemed like potentially compelling material.

And that remains true, as the story involved here comes with ample potential. Unfortunately, the end product seems oddly inert.

This doesn’t make Vermeer a bad movie, but it seems more than a little slow and dry. We just tend not to feel much in terms of consequences or threat.

This seems perplexing, especially given the fact Han possibly faces capital punishment. Despite this sense of doom, the stakes persistently come across as low, and the situations never really involve the viewer.

Much of the movie’s first half passes in a sluggish, bland manner. When Han’s claims of innocence materialize around the flick’s midpoint, matters improve somewhat, but even then, the tale lacks much passion or drama.

Much of the issue comes from the use of Joseph as the main character. He becomes a dull protagonist, one with whom we sympathize somewhat but we never bond, as he remains flat and lifeless.

Played in a campy manner by Pearce, Han offers a more compelling figure, but not an especially interesting one because the movie never makes him more than a slippery fop. The film doesn’t give him any form of depth, so he feels entertaining but superficial.

All of this seems like fodder for a vivid story, but Vermeer can’t find a beating heart. It turns into a slow, bland exploration of the material.

The Last Vermeer appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this single-sided, double-layered DVD; the image has been enhanced for 16X9 televisions. Even within the parameters of SD-DVD, this seemed like a problematic presentation.

Sharpness was adequate at best. Close-ups showed decent delineation, whereas wider shots appeared fairly soft and tentative. The image could seem more than a little blocky at times.

Jagged edges and shimmering were only a minor problem, and I saw no print flaws. Light edge haloes cropped up through the film, though.

Colors seemed low-key, with an emphasis on teal and amber. These choices felt less than exciting, but the DVD represented them in a passable manner.

Blacks provided reasonable depth, while shadows appeared fairly smooth. Ultimately, the image felt passable but no better than that.

As for the film’s Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, it came with a lack of ambition. Music showed pretty good stereo presence but the soundscape did little otherwise. A few scenes came with some pizzazz but most of the effects come across as limited.

Audio quality was positive. Speech became the most important factor, and the lines sounded natural and distinctive.

Music was bright and peppy, and effects came across as reasonably accurate. Nothing notable came with the audio, but the sound was adequate for the story.

The disc opens with ads for I Carry You With Me, The Last Shift, Yellow Rose, Nine Days and French Exit. We also get the trailer for Vermeer but no other extras appear on the disc.

Based on a historical book, The Last Vermeer likely fares best in that format. The film adaptation seems thin and lifeless too much of the time, and I get the impression a text version of the material would work much better. The DVD offers unimpressive visuals along with reasonably good audio and no real bonus materials. Vermeer ends up as a dull disappointment.