The Lost Leonardo

There have been several recent films about the pressures dictating prices on the international art market, but none have been as instructive -- or as enthralling -- as The Lost Leonardo.

Perhaps Da Vinci should have painted Christ throwing the art dealers out of the temple.

Sweet heavens, this is strong.

The unknown becomes the unknowable. In this story, all interests are vested, and the most esteemed authorities can be - at best - winging it.

The re-creations of clandestine meetings and shots of faceless men transporting the painting can be a bit cloak-and-dagger cheesy, [but] that's the only stumble in a film that tells a strange tale populated by a cast of eccentric and dangerous characters.

Really, "The Lost Leonardo" is a detective story. Like any good detective story, it's also a morality tale.

A detective story of a doco. It isn't a new approach, let alone a unique or unusual one, but it savvily relies upon the combined force of a ripping yarn and rollicking storytelling.

Does what the best documentaries do: opens a door to an insular world and extends its scope to become something else entirely, showing how this small world can create ripples that expand throughout the larger world.

Even for audiences who do not care about the art industry or do not normally seek out documentaries, this is juicy and shocking enough to be a rewarding and engaging viewing experience.

The jury is still out as to whether it is the ultimate status symbol or the most expensive dud ever sold to a rich, naive collector.