About The Monuments Men

Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history, The Monuments Men is an action-thriller focusing on an unlikely World War II platoon, tasked by FDR with going into Germany to rescue artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and returning them to their rightful owners. It would be an impossible mission: with the art trapped behind enemy lines, and with the German army under orders to destroy everything as the Reich fell, how could these guys – seven museum directors, curators, and art historians, all more familiar with Michelangelo than the M-1 – possibly hope to succeed? But as the Monuments Men, as they were called, found themselves in a race against time to avoid the destruction of 1000 years of culture, they would risk their lives to protect and defend mankind’s greatest achievements.

The MomMaven’s Thoughts

While billed as an action-thriller, The Monuments Men never lives up to its billing. There is no real build or climax in this movie, it just is. I was entertained and enlightened by a great cast telling an important story, one I wasn’t at all familiar with, but, I wasn’t moved, or excited, or even anxiously awaiting a resolution.

I have never been much of an art lover but in the movie Stokes, played by Clooney makes the case that the art work, which the Germans had stolen, must be found and returned because the artwork tells the history of the people. If Hitler had succeeded in wiping out an entire race of people and their art-what would be left to tell their story throughout history? It would be as if they never existed at all. This thought had me cheering for the men as they did what they could to recover the stolen artwork.

This movie included some comedy along with some rather poignant moments. It is rated PG-13 for violence (it is a war movie), smoking (fitting of the period) and language (mild compared with current times). This movie will be liked by history and art buffs and should be seen by students studying American History, especially WWII since it covers an aspect of the war not usually covered in textbooks. This is not a movie I’d go see again but I am glad I saw it and I learned from it.

Disclosure: I received 2 tickets to see this movie. All opinions are my own.

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