In the throes of World War II and its immense destruction in Europe, President Roosevelt authorized the formation of a small group of art professionals and artists whose task would be to save nothing less than the artistic legacy of Western civilization. "The Monuments Men" is the movie based on that endeavor.
The movie steps us through the process: the proposal by Frank Stokes, his formation of the group, their basic training and posting to Europe about the time of D-Day, and their detective work trying to find the priceless art looted by the Nazis and destined for Hitler's planned grand museum or the houses of his favorites. Stokes is played by a very competent George Clooney, but he also directed and shares a screenwriting credit with Grant Heslov. And all that may have been a bridge too far.
The movie suffers from a slackness and lack of focus in the first act. A charitable view might be that it reflects the insecurity of the group and their own lack of a concrete plan, but the audience should not share in their puzzlement. The group splits up for various missions, but once again there is a looseness that loses the narrative thread. Various incidents illustrate their semi-soldierly status, but are badly handled. The sacrifice in defending a major piece is staged to seem pointless, and the fatal wounding of a member of the group is cloaked in confusion. These seem to be directing, not writing problems.
Eventually there is a major breakthrough that reveals the Nazi grand plan, the movie finally gains some momentum, and there is a rush to a thrilling conclusion, helped along with some manufactured suspense that is more Hollywood than history, Argo style. Overall it's a interesting effort highlighting a little-known aspect of the war, with some memorable moments from Cate Blanchett and Matt Damon.
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