‘Indiana Jones meets
Dad’s Army’. Those are the first
words I uttered as the credits rolled on The
Monuments Men, George Clooney’s’ World War 2 caper that details the true
story of a group of geriatric art collectors as they attempt to procure
precious works of art from the clutches of the Nazis. It’s a film clearly made
with the best of intentions, created to bring to light an interesting and
important story. The problem is that it can’t quite decide how to play it.
On the one hand it tries its hand at the more humorous side:
the old, wrinkly art collectors having to pass basic military training before
being sent out, the Allo Allo-esque
scenes of Cate Blanchett spitting into an SS officers glass before serving him
wine are not without some degree of wit and charm. But then they’re very
clumsily juxtaposed against scenes that might feel more at home in something
like Saving Private Ryan, such as a
particular bleak set piece in which Bill Murray’s character is played a record
of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
sung by his family, whilst hundreds of miles away from home in the midst of a
freezing winter.
Another problem that comes very quickly to the forefront is
the episodic feel of the film. Every ten or fifteen minutes, a new set piece or
new set of characters are introduced and Clooney’s character or another
higher-up stops to explain what’s going on to everyone. This is not to say that
these vignettes in themselves are badly put together – the cinematography is
enticing and the attention to period detail is flawless – but they don’t gel as
a coherent piece. It feels like the story as a whole would be better served as
a TV series, where the episodic feel would be much more fitting, and the need
to explain everything could be neatly consigned to a ‘previously’ section.
In terms of the characters themselves, they’re all fairly
likeable and enjoyable to watch, John Goodman and Bill Murray carrying out
their roles with gruff, grumbling stubbornness while Bob Balaban and Matt Damon
provide a much lighter touch. Clooney stars as the head of the bunch and plays
it capably, balancing his trademark charm with the slightly more melancholic touches
needed at certain points. Cate Blanchett is always good value, although in
terms of accent she seems to have been taking tips from Robin Hood co-star Russell Crowe, as her accent traverses not only
France but most of Eastern Europe. The whole film is given a brash, Battle of Britain-like score by composer
Alexandre Desplat which fits the more light-hearted set-pieces but feels
horribly forced amongst the darker elements (something he proved much more
capable of handling in the final two Harry
Potter films).
The Monuments Men
is a difficult film to dislike, it tells an important story in a well-presented
package and contains likeable characters, but is let down by clunky
story-telling and a misjudged handling of its overall tone.
2 Star
2 Star
