Monuments Men - Go See It!

Rating: Null/10 (19 February 2014)

This is an outstanding bit of movie entertainment! I just saw it and was mightily impressed by it.
The story is compelling, the scripting is top-notch, the dialog is a gem, the acting is superb, the casting is excellent, the production values are lush, and the attention to detail is superb.
Originally due out late last year, the folks at Columbia & Fox realized they had something more than a "Clooney / Damon caper movie" on their hands and pushed it to this year. It was a wise decision on their part.
Based on the real story of the Allied effort to retrieve and return the artworks looted by the Nazis, "Monuments Men" does an excellent job of turning that tale into an engaging, compelling, exciting, saddening, and uplifting tale that is well worth seeing.
I expected something a bit more "adult" than the original "Clooney / Damon caper movie" it was first depicted as - but was surprised and pleased at what the movie actually is. Yup, there's plenty of snappy dialog and humorous situations. Yes, Clooney and Damon are in fine form together. So too however, are Goodman, Murray, Balaban, Dujardin, Blanchett and all others involved. As an example, Blanchett's "Claire Simone" character is a very well rendered Parisian one when it comes to the proper use of French.
The tale could've easily become a farce with these actors / characters depicted as some sort of historian / art expert action heroes winning the war all on their own. Thankfully, the movie and tale is nothing like that. It does show them as being at the front lines and suffering the consequences for that. But it wisely depicts them as exactly who they are - art experts who happen to be in uniform and not combat troops ordered to be art experts. The movie does an excellent job of depicting the difficulties of that situation and its results.
And the production values of the film make it a joy to behold. Location shots abound. Any CGI used to enhance those settings is done seamlessly and thus enhances the story first and foremost. One thing which particularly impressed me was the movie's use of period equipment in exacting detail and specificity.
When there's a scene involving a British Army unit moving out - they're using Bedford QLDs to do so. When there's a scene of a Red Army unit driving 'round - they're doing so in their GAZ-67 "jeeps" and their Zil trucks. This, when it would also have been perfectly appropriate to have depicted them driving 'round in American built vehicles as we supplied plenty of them to them via Lend-Lease. Nope, that just wouldn't do here! And that sort of attention to detail abounds throughout the film.
Paying attention to what's going on on screen is also highly rewarding here. There are plenty of details presented in a realistically understated manner that are all the more compelling for it.
This is an excellent two hours worth of movie entertainment and well worth watching.