The Monuments Men

I was excited for this show because of those acting in it. This was also my first time seeing a film with George Clooney as director (he also co-wrote "The Monuments Men"). I know he can produce a film after winning an Oscar for "Argo" and this movie had its good points. People should see it but don't pay a fortune if you don't have to. The biggest problem is the balance between humor and drama. Other than that, I was entertained.

One shot at the start of the film that introduces the subject matter very well is the Italians doing everything they can to save The Last Supper. We have seen a lot of World War II movies but haven't really thought about how Europe's masterpieces survived. "The Monuments Men" needed more exposition at the start. I felt we got into the meat of the story too soon. Throughout the film, the various scenes did not flow perfectly one to next. Everything felt choppy. That is not to say that the movie was bad. I love the scene for example how Campbell and Savitz take down Nazis in hiding and their stolen art. Stokes and Granger's first scene worked because Clooney and Matt Damon come into this show with chemistry. Bill Murray's greatest moment in this film is the Christmas sequence. The drama was good in that some of the team members die and their deaths must not be in vain. The problem was that the drama was not complementary to the humor in this film. The funny moments did work but what I am trying to convey is that "The Monuments Men" felt like a drama and a comedy meshed together. Ironically, the film's release was pushed from December to February in order to solve this problem. They only partially succeeded in my book. The visual style was romantic as opposed to realistic and it sort of works because this film is about art. Europe must be appealing in order for the audience to be on the side of our heroes as they try to preserve Europe's culture. The movie might have been better if it were more realistic however. One aspect of the story that I applaud is that a conflict between good & evil turns into a race between liberators and conquerors. The Nazis are the bad guys in this show but we weren't expecting the Russians to join in the treasure hunt and that raises the stakes because the Russia wants to keep the art. The climax is a race against time. Usually in a World War II movie, the story ends with Germany's surrender but this movie isn't about defeating Germany in battle. The focus is on their retrieving their plunders before it is too late. There is genuine suspense as the team tries to get out before the Soviets show up. We are expecting either a confrontation or a close run-in with the Red army and I wish that had been the case. The climax could have been worse on the other hand.

This movie has a big cast full of Oscar winners and those used to working in an ensemble. We have members of Ocean's Eleven, two cast members from "The Artist" and another actor who has team experience from being a Ghostbuster. All of the actors performed well and I love how John Goodman and Oscar-winner Jean Dujardin have a lot of scenes together. One problem was that the actors' personas off-screen got in the way of their characters. It was like watching George Clooney and Matt Damon engaged in a war instead of Frank Stokes and James Granger. I liked Alexandre Desplat's musical score but sometimes, it didn't feel appropriate to what we were seeing on screen.

I wish this movie had been better but it could have been worse. This was a good story but it was just written and directed incorrectly. "The Monuments Men" has no clear focus but was still worth seeing. I recommend it to anyone who goes to see it with a positive attitude.

3.5 Stars