"Monuments Men are not selected for their might, but for their minds," declares the clever and quick little trailer.
That's part of the appeal of The Monuments Men, a WWII adventure that follows a group of nerds across enemy lines. Based on The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert Edsel and Brett Witter, the film tells the story of a group of mostly non-soldiers recruited by Franklin Delano Roosevelt to enter enemy territory, scouring Germany for art pilfered by the Nazis in the course of the war. After going through simple basic training, the squad must find and rescue some of humanity's finest artistic achievements before they go up in flames as the war winds down.
For his next endeavor as director, star, co-writer, and producer has assembled a cast that is pretty damn monumental, boasting as it does the likes of Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, John Goodman, Bill Murray, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, and Hugh Bonneville.
Calling 1-866-994-4278 puts yo on the line with an actual human operator who can take any information you might have about artwork lost during the 20th Century's most violent kerfuffle. So check your attic for any priceless works of art and take a peek at supportthemonumentsmen.com, where you find more info and sign a petition to award the real-life Monuments Men with a Congressional Gold Medal.
The Monuments Men was originally scheduled to hit theaters this month as part of the awards season scrum. In October, however, Sony Pictures opted to delay the historical film until early 2014.
The delay was necessary to give the director of Good Night, and Good Luck and The Ides of March more time to find the right tonal balance and also complete visual effects work.
“We just didn’t have enough time," Clooney said back in October. "If any of the effects looked cheesy, the whole movie would look cheesy. We simply don’t have enough people to work enough hours to finish it.”
The Monuments Men is now scheduled to arrive nationwide on February 7, 2014.
