To tie in with our two-part article on the historical fact-based film, we follow George Clooney and his fellow Monuments Men on a mission to rescue plundered artwork…
Director: George Clooney
Screenwriters: George Clooney and Grant Heslov
Based on: The non-fiction book, The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History, by Robert M. Edsel and Bret Witter.
Review:
*Slight spoilers* The Monuments Men tells of an unlikely group of war heroes tasked with locating and returning priceless works of art plundered by the Nazis during World War Two.
Headed by George Clooney, the platoon includes art experts, an architect, a disgraced British soldier, and a Jewish GI, who teamed up to scour war-torn Europe in a bid to prevent Hitler destroying 1,000 years of culture. As the war neared its end, the treasure hunt became a race against time, after the Fuhrer issued a decree that, should Germany fall, all stolen art would be destroyed.
On the surface, this is a film with plenty to offer. The premise is certainly interesting and presents an intriguing slant on the war film. In the process, it illuminates the exploits of these unsung heroes, who uncovered and rescued around five million pieces of art, sculptures and other artefacts, including Michelangelo’s Madonna and the Ghent Altarpiece.
Clooney’s previous forays behind the camera, including Good Night, and Good Luck (2005) and The Ides of March (2011) have shown him to be a solid, if unshowy, director, capable of bringing quality material to life. One glance at The Monuments Men’s poster is also enough to raise high expectations of its excellent cast (Matt Damon, John Goodman, Bill Murray and Cate Blanchett, for a start, with the likes of Hugh Bonneville, Jean Dujardin and Bob Balaban also present and correct).
But while there are some terrific moments scattered throughout, the film fails to fulfil its potential, largely due to its uneven tone and fragmented plotting.
To its credit, the story is set up pretty quickly, with Clooney recruiting his men, who all seem remarkably eager to leave the safety of home and head off to war, despite many not having a military background (cue comical shots of the older, unfit members going through basic training). After a quick motivational speech from Clooney, a little bit of group bonding, and some backstory about the wife and kids back home, the group is split up to go track down the art.
Damon finds himself in Paris getting cosy with Blanchett, a Frenchwoman who knows where much of the art is being held, while Bonneville goes after the Madonna, and the others pair off to find what they can. All this running around leads to a flabby spare tyre of a middle section as we get a serious of vignettes without a lot of progress being made and little character development taking place.
Indeed, by the end of the film, it’s still largely unclear who these men really were and why they sacrificed so much to save the works of art. This is despite a collection of fine performances from the superior cast.
The patchy tone also lets things down. The screenwriters adopt a style that bounces between snappy Ocean’s Eleven-style jaunt, jolly wartime caper, and serious Nazi-infused drama, mixing in the obvious arty symbolism along the way (plus the obligatory bit of gooiness). The end result is a film that is at times light, spirited and comedic; at others muted and sombre. While the likes of Murray and Goodman bring some heart and levity to the proceedings, their performances (much like the rest of the film) feel restrained.
On the plus side, the film feels authentic throughout, with the backdrop of cities and homes devastated by bombing particularly striking. With much of the film focused on art, Clooney also ensures the humanitarian crimes are not forgotten, and the Germans portrayed are not ‘boo, hiss’ pantomime Nazis, but genuinely chilling, especially Justus von Dohnányi as a man whose art collection looks a little too real.
The film also takes a turn for the better once the group reunites and the real art finding starts. The dynamic between all the group members is strong, and it’s hard not to wonder how much better this film might have been had the story centred on this aspect, forgoing some of their earlier separate adventures and sticking to a stronger central plot with tighter focus and more emphasis on the scale of what they were doing.
In fact, the strongest part of the story comes towards the end, where Clooney sums up his mission for the US President, revealing the extent of what the platoon achieved and the true cultural significance of their efforts during a time when the cost of war was (rightly) counted in human lives and destroyed cities, rather than in paint, canvas and marble.
So, overall, while the real-life Monuments Men found and returned lots of priceless and culturally significant works of art, the film about their exploits is, unfortunately, not a masterpiece.
The lessons?
- Research is key to the historical adaptation and the filmmakers here certainly did their homework.
- An even tone is crucial – pick a lane!
- The middle section (second act) of any screenplay needs to maintain momentum and focus.
- A compelling screen story does not automatically result from compelling source material.
Want more?
Take a look at the trailer: