The Burnt Orange Heresy  ★★★

OCCASIONALLY it’s nice when you know little about a film.

In the case of The Burnt Orange Heresy, all I knew was a) it looked like a mystery and b) Mick Jagger was in it.

Released in 2020, it has generally received average reviews but I found it engaging and a refreshing change.

It’s based on a 1971 novel by Charles Willeford, an American writer, now dead, who was most known for his crime noirs.

The film is an English/Italian co-production and stars Danish actor Claes Bang in the main role of renowned art critic James Figueras.

When we join Figueras he is conducting a lecture in which he regales his audience with the background details of an artist who survived the German concentration camps, only to subsequently explain that everything he has said has been false in order to illustrate the point that the importance of art is not necessarily just in the eye of the beholder.

In many ways our opinions of art are profoundly shaped by those whom we think, or want to believe, know what is valuable or not.

Perception versus relaity becomes an ongoing theme of the film, not just in terms of material objects but also relationships, in particular the casual one that Figueras forms with a young woman, Berenice Hollis, who attends his lecture.

The pair spend an intimate weekend together, during which James receives an dinner invitation from powerful art collector Joseph Cassidy, played by Jagger. Berenice accompanies James to Cassidy’s stunning village on the edge of a lake.

Cassidy reveals that one of the world’s most reclusive artists, Jerome Debney, is occupying a cabin on the property. Debney has not been seen for many years, since a tragic fire at his studio destroyed many renowned works. Cassidy believes Debney has been painting again and is desperate to buy one of the new works.

He offers Figueras a book and gallery deal if he can use the pretext of an interview to convince Debney to sell one of his paintings. Figueras agrees and uses Berenice to help ingratiate himself with Debney but, as he learns more about the mystery behind Debney’s fire, Figueras becomes increasingly desperate to achieve his aims.

At this point I wasn’t sure in which direction the story would progress. Luckily I hadn’t checked the pre-publicity and trailer which contain key plot points.

If you’re after a knife-edge or action-based thriller this film isn’t for you. It has a very European sensibility and relies more on atmospherics and a slow reveal. Having said that, it’s not without moments of sudden violence during the final act.

Bang looks and plays the part of Figueras well and has good chemistry with Australian Elizabeth Debicki who plays the mysterious and engaging Berenice.

Jagger the actor is best known for the seminal roles early in his music career for Performance and Ned Kelly, both released in 1970.

He has made only a few films since, the last being The Man from Elysian Fields in 2001. He doesn’t have a lot of scenes as Cassidy but acquits himself well, particularly in the final act.

The great Donald Sutherland is a delight to watch as Debney, although I wonder what the original choice of Christopher Walken would have been like.