Monuments Men

A cast full of leading men, a treasure hunt, and a history lesson all rolled in to one. These are what the film “Monuments Men” has to offer audiences. George Clooney (Oceans Eleven, Up in the Air) both directs and stars in this blockbuster. Along side him are Matt Damon (The Bourne Identity), Bill Murray (Stripes), John Goodman (The Big Lebowski), and Jean Dujardin (The Artist). Hardcore history buffs as well as viewers with a casual interest in WW2 both will find this movie entertaining. The story follows a group of middle-aged art experts and historians who are tasked by President Roosevelt to recover priceless artworks that Adolf Hitler stole from around Europe. While this is a war movie, there is minimal instances of fighting. The Monuments Men, as they are called, are unskilled with firing weapons and avoid fire fights if at all possible. However, there are a few instances when they must buck up and shoot their weapons in order to avoid being killed.

The plot remains intriguing throughout. At one point, towards the end of the war, Hitler releases a memorandum stating that if he dies or Nazi Germany falls, all of the art they have stolen is to be destroyed. All of a sudden, the stakes are raised. Clooney and his men now have to work extra hard to make sure these priceless pieces remain intact. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, not all the art is able to be saved. At one point, one of the Monuments Men discovers a charred frame bearing the name “Pablo Picasso” on a brass placard. As Clooney's character, Frank Stokes puts it, “if you destroy their achievements, their history, it's like they never existed.” As audiences can tell, this was obviously Hitler's intent.

Once the war has officially ended, the Monuments Men encounter a new challenge; the Russians. As repayment for their heavy causalities, the Russians intercept all the art they can and plunder it for themselves. They feel it is only a fair method of reconciliation. While the Russians are selfish, Clooney and crew are on the noble quest to return the art to its rightful owners. Their goal is to return things back to the way they were. They are not in it for their self-interest as Claire Simone (Cate Blanchett), a member of the French resistance who is working independently to rescue stolen art, thinks.

After all the high adrenaline action, the film comes to a satisfying conclusion. George Clooney's own father, Nick Clooney, makes a cameo at the end of the film.

One interesting detail about this story, is that the hunt for Hitler's stolen art is not over. Even today, seventy years after the Monuments Men embarked on their mission, there are still thousands of art works missing. This movie brings awareness to an important issue, that the seriousness of this mission is still just as relevant today. Some of the art still unaccounted for include masterpieces such as Raffaello Sanzio's “Portrait of a Young Man”.