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Reviews edited by Mark Adams mark.adams@screendaily.com
The Monuments Men Reviewed by Tim Grierson The Monuments Men tries to mix humour and drama, The Dirty Dozen-style heroics and Ocean’s Eleven-esque charm, but fails ever to properly land on a single consistent tone or direction. Based on the true story of the unsung men who rescued European artworks and artefacts from destruction at the hands of the Nazis, the latest film from director-star George Clooney boasts a fine cast and impeccable tech credits — which only makes The Monuments Men feel all the more like a lost opportunity as it curiously, stubbornly refuses to come to life. Co-starring Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman and Cate Blanchett, The Monuments Men has significant marquee appeal, but respectful, tepid reviews may not inspire audiences to seek this out in cinemas. Word of mouth will be crucial in determining what kind of legs this possible slow-burner will have. Set over the span of about three years as the Nazis’ defeat begins to seem inevitable, The Monuments Men introduces us to the titular ragtag team of mostly Americans, whose mission was to enter Europe and track down priceless paintings, sculptures and other works that were held by Hitler. Led by Frank Stokes (Clooney), an art historian, the group also includes other non-soldiers, such as art expert James Granger (Damon), architect Richard Campbell (Murray) and sculptor Walter Garfield (Goodman). While others are engaged in combat, the Monuments Men investigate leads to retrieve these stolen artworks. For his fifth movie as a director, Clooney continues his tradition of making films in very specific
n 8 Screen International at Berlin February 6, 2014
out of competition US. 2014. 118mins Director George Clooney Production companies Columbia Pictures, Fox 2000 Pictures, Smokehouse Pictures US distribution Sony Pictures, www. sonypictures.com Producers Grant Heslov, George Clooney Executive producer Barbara A Hall Screenplay George Clooney and Grant Heslov, based on the book by Robert M Edsel with Bret Witter Cinematography Phedon Papamichael Editor Stephen Mirrione Production designer Jim Bissell Music Alexandre Desplat Main cast George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville, Cate Blanchett
genres. If Leatherheads was his throwback screwball comedy and The Ides Of March his political thriller, The Monuments Men is meant to be an oldschool war movie in the tradition of The Guns Of Navarone or The Dirty Dozen. But the central problem with The Monuments Men is that rather than offering the hearty pleasures of that brand of war movie, Clooney is both too cute and too ambitious in his execution, delivering a somewhat self-satisfied portrait of these unlikely heroes that also aspires to give us a new perspective on the Second World War, one of the most filmed events of the 20th century. Murray’s deadpan melancholy is mostly wasted
as the bland Campbell — this is even more egregious considering that he is paired with the equally dependable (and underused) Bob Balaban — while Damon’s interactions with a French curator (Blanchett) who knows the whereabouts of many stolen artworks amount to an ineffectual thwarted-love story. Even Clooney’s Stokes, ostensibly the leader of this team, feels poorly drawn. These characters are not assertive or compelling enough for their one-dimensional personalities to seem heroic or engaging, no matter the easy warmth the actors bring to the roles. Thankfully, Clooney has surrounded himself with a stellar crew, including cinematographer Phedon Papamichael, production designer Jim Bissell and composer Alexandre Desplat, who give The Monuments Men a gorgeous, faintly nostalgic look and sound. The film is also a bit glib. Based on the book by Robert M Edsel with Bret Witter, The Monuments Men informs us these men rescued around 5 million works, including masterpieces from the likes of Michelangelo, Vermeer and Rembrandt — and yet the film does a poor job of illustrating the importance of that achievement. For as catastrophic as the loss would have been if these works had been destroyed, The Monuments Men never quite makes the case that the loss of life associated with retrieving these artefacts was worth the sacrifice. And once the movie acknowledges the horror of the Holocaust, the fate of a few paintings and sculptures cannot help but feel of secondary importance. Clooney wrestles with this dilemma poignantly a few times near the end of the film, but those moments do not feel sufficient.