The Monuments Men Review
Based on a true story, The Monuments Men follows a team of art experts and museum directors, led by Frank Stokes (George looney!, who are tasked with protecting cultural treasures from destruction and theft during "orld "ar ##$ %s %dolf &itler and the 'a(is marched across )urope, they plundered *aluables from +ews and non,+ews alike, stockpiling gold, looting historical landmarks, and stealing thousands of priceless art pieces (sculptures, paintings, and photographs, among others!$ #n response, -resident Franklin .$ /oose*elt appro*ed the formation of the Monuments, Fine %rts, and %rchi*es program (the MF%%! 0 a group of specialists sent into Germany during the closing of the war to find stolen collections and return them to their rightful owners$ 1et, e*en as %llied forces take control of the war, and end the 'a(i campaign, &itler loyalists begin burning storehouses full of cultural artifacts simply to spite their enemies 0 lea*ing the Monuments Men with precious little time to enter war torn cities and find the missing works, before they are lost fore*er$ The Monuments Men is directed by George looney and based on /obert M$ )dsel2s book The Monuments Men3 %llied &eroes, 'a(i Thie*es and the Greatest Treasure &unt in &istory 0 which features thought,pro*oking rumination on the importance of protecting cultural paragons in a time of war and chaos$ #t2s a touching, and heartbreaking concept3 men and women who will lay down their li*es to protect belo*ed works of art 0 a concept that, without 4uestion, ser*es as a great feature film foundation$ 5nfortunately, in spite of an all,star cast and fascinating source material, looney2s film is clumsy and unfocused 0 bouncing back and forth between buddy comedy and (understandably! dark scenes of wartime suffering$ The result is an entertaining but extremely une*en film that should satisfy historical drama fans but falls *ery short of reali(ing the full potential of its gripping premise$ %s with most &ollywood adaptations of real,life e*ents, The Monuments Men takes a lot of liberties$ Still, few of the alterations make for a better or more impactful story6 instead, mo*iegoers are presented with a group of one,note (albeit likable! cliches that succeed in ad*ancing se*eral comedy setups but fail to balance The Monuments Men with e4ually affecting "orld "ar ## drama$ looney includes heartbreaking details 0 'a(i child soldiers and a barrel of gold tooth fillings (stolen from concentration camp *ictims!, for example 0 but the writer7actor7director7producer rarely allows somber moments to resonate before cutting to the next scene$ 'early e*ery example of physical or emotional horror in the film is almost immediately glossed o*er, i$e$ explained away but rarely shown, with little time for meaningful de*elopment or reflection$ %lternati*ely, mo*iegoers are afforded a series of (mostly! disconnected but entertaining setups that rely hea*ily on oddball pairings of the cast$ ertain interactions contribute to the main storyline (such as a trip to the dentist with Bill Murray2s /ichard ampbell and Bob Baladan2s -reston Sa*it(2s! but most ha*e no clear purpose and actually con*olute the o*er,stuffed narrati*e (e$g$, an earlier scene where the same pair smoke cigarettes with a mislaid 'a(i soldier!$ #t2s as if looney, who penned the screenplay with Grant &eslo* (The #des of March!, ignored one of writing2s primary rules3 8kill your darlings$9 %s a result, The Monuments Men includes se*eral indulgent scenes that ha*e
absolutely no bearing on the larger plot$ Gi*en the gut wrenching setting, these one,off character moments only distract from the film2s primary focus and undermine much of the intended emotional punch$ -erformances are ade4uate across the board 0 with fun but not particularly memorable turns from e*ery single member of the cast$ "hile looney and Matt .amon riff on their :cean2s )le*en rapport, Murray and Baladan steal se*eral scenes with a li*ely ri*alry that becomes increasingly endearing throughout the film 0 with one especially sweet gesture pro*iding much,needed catharsis$ Similarly, +ohn Goodman and +ean .u;ardin are teamed,up for much of the runtime, as "alter Garfield and frenchman +ean laude lermont, respecti*ely$ <ike Murray and Baladan, Goodman and .u;ardin are capti*ating but their relationship isn2t as carefully defined 0 and neither character is ele*ated beyond agreeable one,note caricatures$ Sadly, thanks to all the extraneous story tangents, ate Blanchett2s art dealer,turned, spy, laire Simone, is entirely wasted in the film 0 reduced to little more than an obstacle for .amon2s +ames Granger to o*ercome$ From the beginning, the character is easily one of the more interesting additions, with a rich backstory and intriguing ties to France2s underground 'a(i resistance$ 'e*ertheless, looney minimi(es Simone2s role to little more than a suspicious and downright sarcastic nuisance 0 before completely sending her off the rails in a bi(arre and unearned tell,all dinner (with an entirely unneeded side of flirtation!$ #n the end, The Monuments Men is an agreeable but unremarkable film$ There2s nothing memorable about the cinematography, performances, or the final on screen narrati*e to make it a must,see for anyone who wasn2t initially taken by the core premise$ The notable cast deli*ers fun tongue,in,cheek whimsy, e*en when the larger narrati*e begins to fade into the background, but is gi*en little room to de*elop their respecti*e characters or offer uni4ue insight into a time period that has been examined on film from superior angles before$ Fans of historical dramas will likely find enough reason to en;oy The Monuments Men but the mo*ie wastes a powerful source material story 0 one that could ha*e added a uni4ue perspecti*e on o*erly,familiar tales of &itler and "orld "ar ##$
