'The Monuments Men' review by Captain Raptor

'The Monuments Men' review by Captain Raptor

Focused and dedicated readers (as I'm sure you all are) will recall earlier this month I declared that I'd be willing to give any film with Bill Murray in it a chance. As a man of my word, I went to see George Clooney's latest attempt to craft himself a career as a writer/director as well as an actor, mainly drawn in by the film's casting of Mr Murray and The Big Lebowski's John Goodman, and I'm always eager for an opportunity to see people sticking it to the Nazis. 

I think I'm going to have to revise my policy of 'watch anything with Bill Murray in it'; it hasn't been working out for me. Maybe the biggest problem with The Monuments Men is that it isn't sure which direction to go in. The bickering group dynamic and heist-movie antics are leaning towards the comedic, but the setting and repeated references to casualties and concentration camps are pulling the film in the opposite direction. A more assured director might have been able to successfully blend the two elements, but Clooney's directing is poor and at times even embarrassing. There's so many needless stretches of silence, often in the middle of casual conversations - it doesn't build tension or serve any sort of dramatic purpose, and any background music is both occasional and abrupt, so the film is filled with awkward gaps of nothingness. If the actors were emoting in the intermittent periods between dialogue, that might alleviate the uncomfortable silence, but the cast lacks both nuance and energy, and sometimes I got the impression that they weren't even trying. Cate Blanchett in particular gives an awful, robotic performance; you can practically see her going over the stage directions in her head. It might not entirely be the fault of the actors though, because the script (packed full of every cliche in the book) is uninspired, and while there are numerous witty lines, the majority of the dialogue lack subtlety, making it feel clunky and forced. 

The film does have some redeeming characteristics. John Goodman and Jean Dujardin make a good double act, with some enjoyable repartee flowing back and forth between the two, particularly in one entertaining scene where they're pinned down by a sniper. The cast does have some dwindling elements of chemistry, most notable in the funniest scene of the film where Matt Damon accidentally activates a landmine. The comedy and the other lighthearted elements of the film are inexpertly handled and somewhat poorly delivered but ultimately they do work to a degree and there are laughs to be had. The major flaw is that Clooney doesn't seem to know how to create and maintain drama as a director. Scenes about family tragedies, Holocaust victims and even the death scenes of vital characters are skimmed over, but there's several lengthy (and almost entirely silent and motionless) intervals of Clooney and others staring breathlessly at sculptures and paintings, practically an acknowledgement that other people's art is far more interesting and entertaining than this film.

The Monuments Men could best be described as 'awkward'. It's an old-fashioned film out of place in the modern day, with an inexpertly blended mixture of failed drama and semi-failed comedy, a cast that never really seems to know which emotion to go for, and a script that's more functional than fun. There are parts of it that are genuinely quite good, but they're in the vast minority, hidden beneath boredom, nationalism, tiresome cliches and uncomfortable emptiness. It's watchable, but it's mishandled and meandering, highlighting why Clooney's career predominantly takes place in front of the camera rather than behind it.