A noble but bland effort

Rating: 5/10 (19 February 2014)

Based on the true story of art experts going into the front-line to safeguard major art-pieces at the end of World War II in Europe before the Nazis could destroy them or the Soviet seize them serves as George Clooney's latest directional . This war film has a deliberately old-fashioned feel, being more light hearted and comic approach, being an adventure for a group of unlikely of men trying to preserve many masterpieces of Western Culture. But the jokes for the most part fall flat or offer minor chuckles and smiles. Plus Clooney's direction and writing does go for very sentimental and sappy and he seems to not be able to take a tone, whether to be a romp or be more dramatic as it heavily hints towards the Holocaust. The sloppy writing is as Clooney tries to juggle the tones, skip past some dark themes like a child sniper (which was played for laughs) and has major pacing issues as at some parts the film skips through some parts of the film, such as the recruitment and training of the characters yet slow down at other times. Matt Damon and Cate Blanchett were given particularly thankless roles as they work together in Paris, disappearing as the rest of the cast fight on the front line.
Despite Clooney's noble intentions and excellent cast The Monuments Men falters with his misjudged tone and Clooney has made better films as a director.