Chris At The Pictures

‘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