Wars have seen the most extremes of the human condition, stories ranging from extreme depravity to legendary heroism; and cinema has told its fair share. Hollywood has given us tales from secret submarine missions under the Atlantic to the search for a lone soldier in war-torn Normandy, an impossible mission to destroy a dam to the conspiracy to assassinate a dictator. Now, we have something that we haven’t seen before.
The Monuments Men tells the story (based on true events) of a group of art experts drafted into the US Army with the unique mission to protect Europe’s paintings, sculptures, statues and buildings from Nazi capture and collateral damage in the waning years of the war. We follow their adventures across Western Europe as they sneak behind enemy lines, interrogate fleeing officers and trade fire in demolished streets. In their quest, they chase swathes of art stolen by the fleeing Nazis before it is lost, destroyed or captured by the Russians closing in from the East.
With a cast of George Clooney, Matt Damon, John Goodman, Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray and more, this film promises a caper where these men and women, all out of their depth, attempt to save these treasures and masterpieces whilst surrounded by the insanity that is this conflict. Tragically, it doesn’t deliver. Instead, the film pulls us through a disjointed montage of a film, rushing through the story and events without pause to develop the characters or our investment in their cause.
The film instead focuses entirely upon telling us what the Monuments Men did and achieved. And sadly that is the risk with all stories based upon real events, real life isn’t as dramatic as it needs to be for cinema. And as such we do not become invested in the men, or their mission. Where we should be cheering, laughing or crying, we’re not. Instead, we sit by as spectators to, at best, a dramatised documentary where we care little for those involved.
It’s sad to say that a film that had such promise has come to this. It feels like that caper script was there, and that film was made with that epic cast, but someone got to it in the editing room. It’s no secret that the film was delayed, but now we can only guess who had their dark hand in corrupting this movie. Suffice to say, a film with Bill Murray that does not make you laugh is a film the world should not suffer
The Monuments Men is in UK cinemas 14th February 2014.
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