A unique story, but a disappointing film.

Rating: 6/10 (23 July 2014)

George Clooney's "The Monuments Men" is the story of a unique platoon in World War II that was assigned to save stolen artwork that the Nazis had stolen. It has a strong cast with Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, and Bob Balaban. Clooney even wrote the script with Grant Heslov. There was a lot going for this film, but I walked out disappointed.
It's a very rushed movie. You zoom through facts and what these men were doing. It captures the important moments, but doesn't string them together well. We lose character development in exchange for facts that we could easily read. I felt like Clooney went more for the jokes at times. The cast has good chemistry, but I feel like there was missing bits of information and character development.
The actors are all good in it. The performance that stood out to me was Bill Murray. He always does a good job of blending humor with deep emotions. I enjoyed Clooney's style for the film. It feels like a 1940s patriotic war film in color. Alexandre Desplat's score complements this style. It works for the story, but it doesn't strike much depth about patriotism. It's a film made for the love of classic artwork and the importance of preserving the art that has defined humans. You feel that importance at times, but it becomes muddled in a rushed story that aims for jokes more often than needed.
Clooney means well with "The Monuments Men," but it's a flawed film that probably needed more time in order for it to be completely told. It's not necessarily a bad film, but it is disappointing.