Monuments Men, The (2014) [Blu-ray]
Biography | Drama | War

Tagline: It was the greatest art heist in history

Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in the history, The Monuments Men centers around an unlikely World War II platoon, tasked with going into Germany to rescue artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and returning them to their rightful owners. In a seemingly impossible mission, the Monuments Men, as they were called, find themselves risking their lives in a race against time to avoid the destruction of 1,000 years of culture.

Storyline: Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history, The Monuments Men is an action drama focusing on an unlikely World War II platoon, tasked by FDR with going into Germany to rescue artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and returning them to their rightful owners. It would be an impossible mission: with the art trapped behind enemy lines, and with the German army under orders to destroy everything as the Reich fell, how could these guys - seven museum directors, curators, and art historians, all more familiar with Michelangelo than the M-1 - possibly hope to succeed? But as the Monuments Men, as they were called, found themselves in a race against time to avoid the destruction of 1000 years of culture, they would risk their lives to protect and defend mankind's greatest achievements. From director George Clooney, the film stars George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville, and Cate Blanchett. The screenplay is by ... Written by Sony Pictures Entertainment

Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman on May 18, 2014 -- To many people, particularly in today's technologically driven, fast-paced, gross overexposure of media, and technologically based society where everything is instantly available, literally, at the touch of a few virtual buttons, classic art may very well seem like some abstract concept represented as a picture on the Internet, a blurb in a textbook, or maybe the focus of a movie. Maybe some even view, and on some level appreciate, classic art in museums, but it seems that society doesn't always quite grasp the true value of art, seeing the dollar signs attached to pieces when art theft makes the news but not really grasping the deeper meaning behind a work or the social or cultural or historical significance deep within many of the world's most famous works of art. In The Monuments Men, Frank Stokes, the character portrayed by George Clooney, says that his mission is to save the art not for its monetary value or so that its listing in art history texts may remain unaltered but instead for the purpose of exposing, retaining, and celebrating the "culture and way of life" that surrounds them, that makes them valuable monetarily, yes, but far more so in a broader cultural, ethnical, and historical sense of the term. While there may be more important things to consider in war -- both in the short term and in the long term -- such as preserving a way of life and saving as many lives as possible, safeguarding a heritage and saving the best of man's creativity caught in the path of his worst destructive capabilities may very well be a mission worth the potential surrounding costs.

At the height of World War II, as the destruction mounts and the death toll rises, it's becoming ever more clear to Frank Stokes (Clooney) that some of the world's most important pieces of art are in grave danger of being destroyed in the chaos. What's more, Hitler is amassing much of the art as war trophies for the Reich. With President Franklin D. Roosevelt's permission, Stokes assembles a team of art experts, preservationists, and scholars dubbed "The Monuments Men" -- including James Granger (Matt Damon), Richard Campbell (Bill Murray), Walter Garfield (John Goodman), Jean Claude Clermont (Jean Dujardin), Preston Savitz (Bob Balaban), and Donald Jeffries (Hugh Bonneville) -- to find, preserve, and return to rightful owners important works throughout Europe. The group splits apart throughout the continent to work specific missions. Meanwhile, Granger finds himself working with a French art curator and, now, art preservationist, named Claire Simone (Cate Blanchett) whose bother has been murdered by the Nazis, labeled as a rebel and resistance fighter.

The Monuments Men, based on a true story, tells a rather fundamentally and historically fascinating tale of fine culture juxtaposed with destructive war. It's a very simple premise, sort of like Saving Private Ryan but without the realistic violence and grit but maintaining the same basic principles of finding and preserving something of great value above the cost of carrying out the mission, here art -- great amounts of art created by the hands of some of mankind's most gifted artisans -- rather than an ordinary man. It's also akin to something like Indiana Jones, set in the same timeframe and concerned with historical preservation of cherished artifacts and ensuring they remain out Nazi hands, here with a larger scope and more involvement and maneuvering along the way. Unfortunately, the movie never quite works. Despite moments of charm, levity, and heartfelt drama, it's rather scattershot and, literally, all over the map. Its lack of focus beyond the overreaching plot arc is its biggest downfall -- there are too many characters involved in too many tasks in too many places -- and a close second is its rather dry cadence and unfortunate absence of an evident soul. While the film captures the spirt and purpose behind its plot, it lacks drive and heart, playing methodically rather than thoughtfully and soulfully.

Nevertheless, there's a fair bit of fun to be had with Monuments Men. It enjoys plenty of levity surrounding the dirty realities of war, which are here not depicted graphically but rather emotionally, the human toll representing the few times the picture truly finds its center, which at best runs parallel to the plot rather than in-line with it. Cast camaraderie never excites. There are a lot of very talented actors here and the film boasts one of the year's best ensembles, yet there's not that connection, that, pardon the somewhat overused World War II phrase, "band of brothers" feel to them. The individual performances are fine, for the most part, though the film never gets much real energy out of most of the players. On the technical side of the scoresheet, the film dazzles in practically every scene. It enjoys a thoroughly convincing and immersive visual setting, recreating the era with pinpoint detail and filmed in such a way that the audience feels always pulled into the environments. Even if the story isn't quite as engaging as it should be, the external qualities help to mask a somewhat stale, procedural, and very lightly bloated core.

The Monuments Men means well but never quite finds its center. It's a bit aimless around the edges and lacks that seamless character chemistry that's necessary to sell the film's importance and the characters' commitment to carrying out their mission. The movie does do an outstanding job in building up its support elements. It's beautifully photographed and its era appears meticulously recreated. The movie has a lot to offer, more potential than anything else, but it's a solid effort that falls well short of what it should have been but does satisfy as an entertaining, albeit overlong and scattered, wartime novelty. Sony's Blu-ray release of The Monuments Men features masterful "Mastered in 4K" video, a terrific lossless soundtrack, and a decent selection of bonus content. Fans should have no reservations about buying. Newcomers might be best served to rent or wait for the disc to go on sale.

[CSW] -2.9- A true story that was worth telling, but the poor execution detracts from film. The slow pace and sometimes confusing sequence only seemed to confuse an otherwise great historical story. It is a shame that this great piece of history wasn't better told. The events portrayed in this film are fictionalized for dramatic effect; and the characters depicted are fictionalized representations of real people but it should have been a presented as documentary or docudrama and the scope should have been reduced to a more manageable level. The events and locations in this film are difficult to keep track of and most of the humor fell flat or appeared bungled to me. This film is okay but it is not great cinema.
[V5.0-A5.0] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box.


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