The Monuments Men is a look into the world of war through the eyes of the people who see beyond the fighting, who see what happens once the fighting is over. What happens when we, as a society, lose our history and where we’ve come from? That’s just one reason why The Monuments Men did what they felt they needed to do to save our heritage. George Clooney directs, co-writes, and stars as Frank Stokes, who leads an Allied platoon comprised of seven museum directors, curators, and art historians. They are tasked with entering Germany with the Allied forces during the closing stages of World War II to rescue artworks, which have been plundered by the Nazis, saving them from destruction or damage, and returning them to their rightful owners.
It’s a forgotten and probably not thought about small section of war: what happens to our personal heritage? With all the bombing, invading of towns, and total destruction done by both sides, what was left was rubble that was once people lives. And of course there were the Nazis that felt that anything and everything was theirs for the taking no matter how big or small, including art, personal belongs, and family heirlooms not easily replaced. Enter Frank Stokes and The Monuments Men. His plan is to head into Germany and get back what the Nazis took by any means and return it to the rightful owners. Him and a personally hand picked group of allies will do just that. Putting their own life and safety at risk for a cause they believe in.
Clooney is taking triple responsibilities with the film, being the lead actor, director, and co-writer. He manages to craft a good script with a wonderful cast of characters being played by perfect actors: Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Hugh Bonneville, Bob Balaban and Cate Blanchett, all come in swinging and bring their A-game. It’s clear that everyone involved was a fan of the movie and what its message is. You can tell with the great energy that they’re giving off. If anything can be said, Clooney has great friends that will always answer the call to be in one of his films.
This movie shows that Clooney has grown as a director. He manages to have some very creative shots and camera moves, even if most of the movie is just people talking. There are a few action scenes that are handled well. This isn’t a huge everything-blows-up type of movie. It has subtle, but very important moments that focus more on the characters than the chaos that’s happening around them. That’s what makes this movie stand out as not just another average war movie, it makes you care about them and the cause they’re fighting for.
Very good CGI effects on the war time ruins are well used, adding so much to each scene. Cinematographer Phedon Papamichael, production designer Jim Bissell, and costume designer Louise Frogley all make strong contributions to the film’s fine look. They all gave it something special to make the movie work and added that 10%. The score by Alexandre Desplat is heavy in certain places, but over all works and keeps the movie at a good pace.
The movie does have some small negatives as well. At times the movie becomes very heavy handed. Now granted it’s a war movie, so there’s going to be many speeches about togetherness, fighting for the greater good, etc. There might be a little too much of that, but it’s nothing that hurts or pulls you out of the flick by any means. Also, the movie tends to fall into a little bit of a “slow zone” in certain times, where things tend to not be urgent and only mildly amusing. Doesn’t happen much, but when it does, you feel it.
One of the other hit-you-over-the-head themes is the movie never, I mean never, lets you forget the Nazis were monsters. Anytime they can, and they do, the filmmakers make sure to take a jab or portray the Nazis as the most evil force in history. Lets face it, it’s true, but we already know that, so one would only need one or two moments to remind you of that. But when they do deal with the Nazis, or the Holocaust, it is dealt with much respect towards the subject matter. It’s not just thrown into the story just because, there are reasons for everything Clooney does in his movie. The film is filled with layers, history, and facts that should never be forgotten. Some people may not like the film, but if anything should be taken away from the flick, it’s that this is based on a real story and we should never forget where we come from, no matter how far we may fall.
The flick has many dramatically tense moments, but it’s also filled with great humor that gives you a nice break between the intensity of war. It has some running gags that are great for viewers; a personal favorite was Matt Damon’s character speaking French poorly to the French. It’s a good joke that keeps coming back when you least expect it. The movie is filled with other great character moments and scenes that never let you forget that real people did this. Real people risked everything to keep our importance of culture. The movie should be looked at as a message and reminder of what a civilization stands for and what’s worth fighting to keep.
The entire movie is done very well. As stated, it has some moments of heavy-handedness that can be overwhelming, only because we’ve seen and heard it before in other war movies. But with a cast filled with great Oscar winners playing wonderful characters you enjoy spending time with, you can look past the faults and see what the filmmakers are trying to say. It’s a story about where we’ve been and how we need to preserve our cultural heritage no matter what’s the cost, and that’s a pretty good message.