Review of The Monuments Men (2014) by Joanna B — 05 Jul 2015

Based on the true story of an unlikely WWII platoon and their FDR requested mission to go behind German lines with the sole purpose to recover and preserve the world?s foremost artistic masterpieces. With the irreplaceable pieces forcefully acquired by the Nazis, this unusually qualified team is tasked with returning the priceless to their rightful owners before Hitler can have them destroyed.

A seemingly impossible mission, The Monuments Men (seven museum directors, curators, and art historians) find themselves in a race against time to prevent the ordered destruction of 1000?s of years of culture. Risking their lives to protect and defend mankind?s greatest achievements before the Reich falls, how can these mostly untrained technical civilians possibly hope to succeed?

Adapted from 2009?s book, The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel, triple threat George Clooney (director/writer/actor) assembles yet another stella cast of heavy weights to bring this intriguing story of determination and love of humanity to life.

Set in a point of time, War, where specific moments and people are almost exclusively the topics remembered, the essence of this movie jumps sideways, focusing on one of the many forgotten subjects of its era, Art.

Disparaged for having merely ?a few kernels of historical merit?, historians and critics alike have been on the attack and although right in their assessment, It is still a wonderful thing to bring these silent and for the best part forgotten moments in history to the forefront. A reminder to Mr Clooney, a Hollywood treatment ensures Box Office returns but dilutes artistic merit.

In many cases, cumulative ringer casts (including but certainly not limited to Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville, and Cate Blanchett) can create a sense of camaraderie and light-heartedness, however in this instance it comes across as somewhat jarring, pulling us from the essence of the story with individual actors personalities and the films modern sensibilities dragging at us.

The Verdict: Missing the mark as a fun caper movie, Monuments Men never overcomes its cumbersome structure and uneven tone ? it does however shine a light on an interesting war sidebar, seldom thought about.

Published : The Queanbeyan Age.

Date of Publication : 14/03/2014.