Courtney Zapp | Staff writer
Based on a true story, Monuments Men is a period piece on World War II, featuring A-list actors George Clooney, Bill Murray, Matt Damon, and others as museum curators and architects turned soldiers. Their mission: Recover vast collections of confiscated artwork from the Nazis, whose intention is to put it all in a museum dedicated to Hitler. However, if Germany loses the war, the art is to be burned, erasing any sign of its existence.
This story brings a fresh and unexpected angle to the war, highlighting the Nazis destruction of culture through theft and destruction of property rather than genocide and imprisonment. A bit fast-paced, the continual use of montages throughout the film gave the impression of several events occurring close to or at the same time as each other. Humor was used like a defense mechanism, aiding the characters in recovering from the inevitable death and suffering that comes from wartime, though at times characters died so quickly after appearing onscreen that the audience would feel no need to mourn. The casting for the main characters was superb, with Clooney feeling natural in his role as the stern, but compassionate, leader and Damon playing a charming, yet morally sound, soldier/architect.
The one element this film lacks is the ability to immerse the viewer into the time period, as it lacked the military jargon and urban slang that one would expect from a movie taking place in WWII. In this case, the problem with Monuments Men was the script, not the actors. Even with incongruous language, the actors were able to put on a compelling and believable performance of the unexpected and overlooked struggle to maintain culture during war.