Monuments Men...Very Good Presentation

Rating: 8/10 (20 July 2015)

The Monuments Men is based on the true story of a great treasure hunt. An unlikely crew of art historians tasked by FDR with going into Germany on a mission to recover artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves. These men and women were trying to preserve what our civilization is all about and what it means to be human in the midst of horrible atrocities. Appears there was little knowledge of this dedicated group of men and this film is an educational,learning experience that memorializes people who were trying to preserve our culture but more importantly to prevent Hitler from gloating over his evil accomplishments and conquered countries that would only contribute to the inevitable survival of the Nazis.
The male actors George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin and Hugh Bonneville did a fine job. Cate Blanchett was a curator at the Lourve,she was equally as impressive. Matt Damon befriended her and she provided them with a general idea of where to look including special identifying markings. They found themselves in a race against time to avoid the destruction of 1000 years of culture,risking their lives to protect and defend mankind's greatest achievements.
In one particular scene they find a cave not only brimming with treasures but chilling reminders of the millions of persecuted Jews Hitler had murdered. Their gold teeth, rings and shoes packed in barrels or thrown on the ground. This discovery created a dead silence amongst the men.
It makes no sense that this movie was criticized so much. What was really expected from this film? Surely not an action flick, thriller or war movie. Just not enough bloody violence,which seems to be a draw these days.Did Hollywood alter the exact truth,what else is new? An important story that needed to be told about a group of men who risked their lives and deserve our respect.
Note: Research states that Millions of art was recovered but much is still outstanding.