Someone once said “Those who don’t learn from the past are condemned to
repeat it”, so what would happen if someone tried to erase the past? That is what Hitler tried to do when his
defeat was imminent, he ordered his army to destroy all the art he had stolen
during his rule of Europe. Lucky for us there were those who recognized the
importance of saving these historic pieces of artwork, and put their lives on
the line to do so. These were the kinds of soldiers that you don’t read about
in any history book.
They went
by the name “The Monuments Men”, but what they really were was a group of men
who knew what it meant to the world to try and keep these important works from
being incinerated. They were led by Frank Stokes (George Clooney), who put the
team together based on their particular fields of experience. On this team was
James Granger (Matt Damon), Richard Campbell (Bill Murray), Walter Garfield
(John Goodman), Preston Savitz (Bob Balaban), and Jean Claude Clarmont (Jean
Dujardin). After a little basic training, they are off to find out where the Nazis
hid all of the stolen art. As they follow the clues like they were part of the
Scooby Gang, they start to find some of the lost pieces. In the midst of the
search, they find the order from Hitler, stating that if he were to die, his
army is to destroy everything. Now the Monuments Men must race against time to
save all they can before all is lost.
A story this noble and great deserves to be
told. What these men did has allowed people like us to enjoy art that could
have been lost forever. Based on a book by Robert M. Edsel who with Bret Witter
brought light to what these men did, and although it really is an intriguing
story, the same can’t be said for the film. The trailer makes you believe this
is “Ocean’s 1944” but the simple truth is that it is not.
While the all-star cast is there, gone is the coolness and freshness that made
“Ocean’s Eleven” what it was. Clooney and his crew once made stealing a bunch
of money from a casino an art form, saving a bunch of actual art, not so much.
Sure there is humor here, but it’s more likely to produce a chuckle then a
laugh. There is no balance between the
humor, the drama, and the historical significance.
I always have a fear when a movie I want to see gets pushed back
from its original release date; because that always signals that something is
wrong. This film reaffirmed that belief, because this movie would have gotten
lost last November. I wanted to enjoy this movie, but found myself looking
often at my watch, wondering when it would end. While I didn't actively dislike
it, I certainly didn't enjoy it, it just falls in the ‘take it or leave it’
zone. My suggestion is to read the book, because even with all the star power,
these Monument Men can’t save this movie from itself.
Brian Taylor
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