The Monuments Men

THE MONUMENTS MEN

Director : George Clooney
Year : 2014
Genre : War
Rating : *

 

Based on the book 'The Monuments Men : Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt In History' by Robert M. Edsel, 'The Monuments Men' is the latest movie from actor and director George Clooney. Starring Clooney, Matt Damon, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Bill Murray, Hugh Bonneville and Cate Blanchett, the film tells the astonishing true story about a group of art scholars who traveled through Nazi occupied Europe during the final days of World War II to try and retrieve pieces of irreplaceable art before they are destroyed by the Germans. Well, the story would be astonishing if it wasn't so badly told, badly directed and overall so utterly without merit. Failing to make use of it's stellar cast, beautifully realised cinematography or it's fascinating source material, 'The Monuments Men' is an epic waste of time and talent as well as a missed opportunity in telling this forgotten chapter from history which very much deserves to be told. 

I am sure that George Clooney (who is a very talented director) had all of the right intentions in making 'The Monuments Men' and as usual a strong and reliable cast do their best with a frankly clumsy and badly organised narrative and screenplay, but unfortunately a lack of discernible or remotely investable characters, theme or defining tone causes the film to quickly lose a sense of momentum or import. Swapping from comedic to tragic in the blink of an eye, Clooney really drops the ball when it comes to establishing mood and overall ambiance which once again prevented me becoming emotionally attached to the characters or the plot. Thankfully, Alexandre Desplat's nostalgic score helps to keep the overall military vibe intact and this element is by far the best thing about the entire film. Sadly though, the imagery on screen is tepid and dull compared to this energetic and Bernstein inflected soundtrack and this counterpoint really exaggerates the laziness of the script and the lack of any identifiable archetype. Shockingly underusing it's headline grabbing cast, 'The Monuments Men' is a perfect example of stars simply signing on for a job just to earn a quick paycheck. It is a sloppily made, poorly written and hugely underwhelming mess from a group of very talented and very watchable people who really should know better.

How in the world do you make Bill Murray boring?