The Monuments Men

The Monuments Men

Starring: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray

Director: George Clooney

Rating: 3.5/5

George Clooney has become one of the most fascinating and exciting directors with the likes of The Ides of March and Good Night and Good Luck under his belt.

He delves back into the past with his latest offering The Monuments Men, which is based on an incredible true story from World War II.

The Monuments Men focuses 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.

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 this was a tough task for the seven museum directors, curators, and art historians.

The Monuments Men 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.

This film's greatest strength is that it is telling a very different war story than we have seen before. Clooney doesn't depict the frontline and the bloody battles, instead focusing on this unique and forgotten tale.

The story of The Monuments Men is one that has almost been lost, and it is fantastic to see this tale finally told.

However, where The Monuments Men is like other war films is in the bond and the comradeship that is built between the central cast.

And what a cast list it is, as Clooney has brought together some of cinema's most talented stars: many of whom he has worked with before.

And it is this cast that is the heart and soul of the film, and really makes it something more.

This is the kind of film that I desperately want to rave about, as the cast is top notch and the premise is incredibly original and has bags of potential.

Don't get me wrong, I did like this film, but I was just expecting something more.

The movie skips from moment to moment and scene to scene and just lacks some cohesion as well as drive and urgency. However, it is an incredibly intriguing movie that mixes comedy, drama, and elements of heist.

But we never really get to know who The Monuments Men are or what really drives them to risk their lives. Having, said that Hugh Bonneville's character is explored more than the others and this results in some rather moving moments.

Bonneville takes on the role of Donald Jeffries, a man who is filled with regret; The Monuments Men gives him a chance of redemption and making his father proud.

When I see a movie like this, I want to see the central characters to be truly fleshed out so we get to know who they are; to have had more characters developed like Jeffries would have given the film a more emotional punch.

This movie has real heart to it and you can clearly see that Clooney is passionate about this story and wants the world to know what these men achieved.

The Monuments Men is a courageous and touching story but it doesn't quite hit the dizzy heights that I was expecting.

The Monuments Men is released 14th February.


by for www.femalefirst.co.uk
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