Good intentions but falls flat in the end.

Rating: 4/10 (5 April 2014)

good intentions but falls flat in the end.
The film, directed by George Clooney, tells the true story of a group of men sent into war-zones during World War II to find, recover, and protect art. The story is quite interesting, and knowing its true makes it horrific. The topic was done carefully, and it has potential to be good. It's being called a tame "Inglorious Basterds", but maybe it's just too tame.
The cast have its positive and negative moments. Bill Murray gives the best performance, followed by John Goodman. Their emotional and comedic talents echo well through-out. The rest of the cast are hit or miss, with pleasurable performances by Hugh Bonneville and Jean Dujardin. George Clooney is not bad; just it lacks the power of a stand-out performance. His performances don't have the charisma, the staying power, or the connection of his characters in a Coen Brothers film.
Matt Damon and Cate Blanchett are key to the downfall of this film. It's understandable that the characters were to be included as it's a true story and these characters were heavily featured in the book. However, their characters relationship and duties were a quarter of the two hour film. If the characters were taken out of the film, it would have been enjoyably shorter and tell the exact same story. Their performances aren't bad, but their characters and the way they are written in gives them very little to work with.
Clooney's direction with the story is well. Outside of the Damon-Blanchett storyline, the film seems like it knows what it wants to do. Co-writers Clooney and Grant Heslov don't bring the strongest script to the battlefield, lacking the characterization and strength that The Men Who Stare at Goats had. The characters had no chemistry, outside of Lt. Donald Jeffries (played by Hugh Bonneville), who is given the least amount of screen-time. The script also attempted to capture a sense of nostalgia, which seemed to be very stiff, especially at the end of the film. Clooney and Heslov attempt to reproduce the ending moment of Saving Private Ryan, and while it is sweet, it's not a strong ending. It just feels like something that has been done before, but this time with characters that the audience doesn't have a connection to.
While the film is entertaining every now and then, with great performances by Murray and Goodman, the film finds itself stuck in a subplot that doesn't progress the story, a lack of character development, and a sense of nostalgia that is too tawdry.