If there were a guide to decoding movies, rule No. 1 might be: If a main character is a con artist, look for him to get conned by someone else.

I'm not saying that has anything to do with "The Best Offer," which stars Geoffrey Rush as a con artist who, working with a friend (Donald Sutherland), bilks people out of valuable paintings. Claiming the paintings are worthless, Rush buys them for cheap and adds them to his own, specialized collection. Housed in a secret room in his home is an enormous gallery where he sits alone, gazing at his portraits of beautiful women throughout history. A classic loner, he is yanked out of his solitude when a young, wealthy woman who refuses to show her face asks him to evaluate some art.

I'm not saying you will know exactly where that plot is headed from the get-go but I will say that "The Best Offer," from director Giuseppe Tornatore ("Cinema Paradiso") is marred by stiff, over-explanatory dialogue. The problem, I'd guess, is that native Italian speaker Tornatore wrote it in his own language and somebody else did a lousy job of translating it into English, the language everyone in the film uses. Like all of Tornatore's films, it is a great-looking movie and Rush is sporadically amusing but another thing I'm not saying is that you should go.


Directed by: Giuseppe Tornatore

Starring: Geoffrey Rush

Rated: R for strong language and partial nudity

Should you go? Tornatore has made great movies: "Cinema Paradiso," "The Legend of 1900" and "A Pure Formality." Watch them, instead. 1-1/2 stars.