THE MONUMENTS MEN

Reviewed by Patrick Gibbs

GRADE: A+
George Clooney, Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Hugh Bonneville and Bob Balaban
Screenplay by George Clooney and Grant Heslov 
Directed by George Clooney

George Clooney has certainly come a long way from Batman & Robin, emerging as one of Hollywood's top actors, producers (winning an Academy Award for Argo) and as a director, with a growing body of work that has occasionally had critics split but has always been unique and thought provoking.

The Monuments Men is based on the true story of an Allied squad during the waning days of World War II,  tasked with entering Germany with the Allied forces to rescue works of art that have been plundered by the Nazis. saving them from destruction or damage, and returning them to their rightful owners.

The squad is made up of seven men: museum directors, curators, and art historians. When Frank Stokes (Clooney) presents the concept of this "rescue mission" to high command, he suggest sending in a team of young art historians. But when it is rightly pointed out that the young art historians are already in Europe fighting alongside the young everyone else, Stokes must lead the team himself. His unit is comprised of six men: museum directors, curators, and art historians. Four Americans:  Lt. James Granger (Matt Damon); Sgt. Richard Campbell (Bill Murray); Sgt. Walter Garfield (John Goodman) and  Pvt. Preston Savitz (Bob Balaban), and englishman, Major Donald Jeffries (Hugh Bonneville), and Lt. Jean Claude Clermont (Oscar Winner Jean Dujardin) from France.

The Monuments Men face a daunting task, as Hitler has seized literally millions of priceless works of art throughout Europe, and the importance of the mission is questioned at every turn. Are paintings, sculptures and the like really important enough to risk the lives of allied soldiers? What's more, they encounter resistance on other fronts: when Granger seeks the aid of Claire Simone (Cate Blanchett), a French woman who is being held prisoner by the allies as a collaborator, but was in reality risking her own life to track where works of art were being taken, she is surprisingly uncooperative, not altogether convinced that these men's motives are that different from those of the Fuhrer himself. She believes they want the art for American museums, and  it is with great reluctance that she assists Granger.

The team follows multiple leads throughout both occupied and newly freed territories throughout Europe, and it's not long at all before these men become more than mere observers to the war and are right in the middle of the danger, facing great danger to life and limb for their cause, but never wavering in the belief that the recovery of this art is essential: these are not just objects, they are history. They are the accomplishments of civilization, of individuals and nations alike, and they must be saved.

The presence of Clooney and Damon has lead critics and audiences alike to jump to the conclusion that this is Ocean's 11 in world War II, and those expecting a hip heist movie are finding themselves disappointed. That is really a shame, because this is a terrific film that deserves a far better reception than it is getting. Clooney tends to be something of a throwback as a director, and here he is combining the style of 60's World War II epics with a touch of the modern sensibilities of more contemporary fare, ranging from M*A*SH to Saving Private Ryan (in fact, many of the sets, particularly in and around Normandy, appear to be the same ones used in Spielberg's classic.). While the importance of the legacy and preservation of art is at the heart of the film, we are reminded of the larger and more sinister destruction going on: Pvt. Sam Epstein (Dmitri Leonidas) explains that despite living in Europe as a child, within walking distance of a priceless Renoir, he was not allowed inside the museum to see it. "My grandfather told us it was because we were too short." He explains. "Then Hitler came along and everyone was 'too short' for him."  Later on, when the men are marveling at the treasures they are finding, Pvt. Savitz is delighted by a barrel full of small gold objects, playfully examining an handful, until Granger quietly points out "those are from teeth."

The look and feel of the film is old fashioned but expertly handled, and Alexadre Desplat's delightful musical score echoes both John Williams and Elmer Bernstein. The cast is uniformly excellent, with Murray and Balaban predominantly serving as comic relief but also a few very poignant moments, and John Goodman and Jean Dujardin (last paired in The Artist) and Hugh Bonneville providing an all too real sense of humanity and mortality. Writers Clooney and Heslov have crafted a heartfelt story full of memorable but not self consciously witty dialogue, and the real triumph here is that we are so swept up in this cause. It's hard to imagine looking at a piece of art again without thinking about it's history and lasting impact, and in turn of this film, which, like many works of fine art, may not be fully appreciated in it's time but I suspect will remain will stand the test of time.

The Monuments Men is rated PG-13 for violence and some profanity.