I Was Expecting Better

Rating: 5/10 (31 May 2014)

"The Monuments Men" has a very solid cast. You see George Clooney, Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, John Goodman and Bill Murray and you're expecting something special. And the story seemed as if it should lend itself to something special. It's based on the true story of an Allied team put together during World War II whose mission is to locate and recover art treasures stolen by the Nazis. It was a significant mission - to save the cultural heritage of Europe. Between the cast and the story you expect something better. By the time it's over, you find yourself thinking that you were expecting something better. In the end, "The Monuments Men" disappoints.
Clooney was Stokes, who convinced President Roosevelt to form the team, and Damon is Granger, who in many ways the movie revolves around. Both were fine. But, in the end, the movie just wasn't very interesting. It sputtered along. At times there were attempts at humour, and there were even sombre moments with reflections on the Holocaust scattered throughout. The most powerful scene for me revolved not around the discovery of stolen art, but rather of a barrel full of gold fillings. There's also a portrayal of early American-Soviet rivalry. Both want to find the art, but both have different plans for it. The Americans want to return it to its rightful owners, while the Soviets plan to keep it.
There was enough material to work with to have made a pretty good and exciting movie. But somehow, "The Monuments Men" missed the mark, and turned out to be disappointing more than anything. (5/10)