great premise, lackluster treatment

Rating: 5/10 (9 May 2014)

A galaxy of stars in George Clooney, Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray, John Goodman, and Jean Dujardin. A theme that is epic- war. A villain that a world hates in Hitler. A director known to regularly punch above his weight in Clooney. Seems nothing can go wrong with The Monuments Men. A surefire sleeper hit, and a strong awards contender, is it? Not really. The movie is a prime example of the fact that great ingredients do not necessarily make a great movie.
"You can wipe out an entire generation, you can burn their homes to the ground and somehow they'll still find their way back. But if you destroy their history, you destroy their achievements and it's as if they never existed. That's what Hitler wants and that's exactly what we are fighting for"
The premise is great, the impact lackluster. Based on a true story, about the greatest treasure hunt in the history of mankind. We remember the Nazis for the holocaust and other war crimes, but something even more sinister was their attempt to steal, and later on as the Reich crumbles, try to destroy over 5 million pieces of art. A rag tag group of art historians and museum curators are asked to save over 1000 years of culture and heritage. Working in war-zones alongside combat units with imminent danger to their lives , this unlikely yet dedicated band of brothers chase down the thieves with an attitude bordering on flippancy.
Therein lies The Monuments Men's major weakness. For something based on WW2, the tone of the movie is too casual, and the humor is too liberally spread. Seasoned actors go about their jobs breezily wisecracking in every inch of the film. And there is an attempt at a love angle between Blanchett and Damon. Why not- she is playing a French after all, she has to flirt. But most of the characters remain unfleshed out, and as a result, the movie lacks emotion, even when key character deaths occur or even when the Monalisa is found. To its credit though, the film is technically brilliant.
Hitler had grand plans for the booty. He had planned a Fuhrermuseum that would stock all the art of the world. In case this scenario did not unfold, he had ordered the complete destruction of all that the Nazis had stolen. This was known as the Nero Decree. Being a lover of history and art, I cannot but be thankful to those who actually saved it all. But as far as movie goes, the similar themed 1964 Burt Lancaster starrer The Train is the miles better watch- 5/10