A brilliant film that helped define a genre

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

Is it the greatest movie? No. But a movie about the passion to save priceless items strikes a spot in my heart. Watch it because you want to be the one who would preserve human history :)

Films set in World War Two are incredibly popular and the genre has become saturated. There is no room for mediocrity anymore. In comes George Clooney and his famous Hollywood friends to add to the exclusive list of excellent war movies...Ha! Based on the true story of a group of historians going into Europe to recover artistic masterpieces that the Nazi's stole. The film does not do those historians justice, at all. Quite simply this was a mess, narratively speaking. I was hopeful at the start as Clooney and Damon hire the assistance of other historians. Then the movie kicks into second gear and the group are disbanded to various cities across Europe. The narrative consistently shifts between five (...yes five!) different parties of the same unit. This constant switching was ridiculously jarring and I couldn't maintain focus on what the heck was going on. It wasn't a cohesive narrative, it was like watching five separate stories in one film. Not to mention that nothing here was engaging or compelling. Character development was minimal, editing was rushed...this could've, and should've, been executed better. Even the acting felt bland, hardly any acting at all! Only Blanchett and Dujardin felt immersed in the story. Everyone else was just themselves but in costume. Clooney clearly focussed on his directorial efforts and it showed. I honestly think his directing style is great. It's clean, sharp and he isn't afraid to let the actors do their job. I appreciate the light hearted atmosphere, rare these days in a war film but it felt like Dad's Army instead of Saving Private Ryan. There were glimpses of humour, particularly with the land mine scene where our characters actually interacted. But ultimately it was too little too late to save this. Mediocre at best.

This film should be far more engaging than it is. It is about six men selected to retrieve art works stolen by the Nazis, and Bill Murray is in it. That should be enough to make it a near classic. However it never really reaches the comedic or dramatic potential promised in the trailer which is in fact a better experience than the film itself. Part of the reason for this is the lack of momentum caused by the story being spread between the different stories of the cast. Things seem to meander along without a great sense of urgency and as a result the audience may be compelled to feel slightly disinterested. If any art is going to be saved can everyone involved hurry up. Considering the cast and the plot this film could have been allot more fun. The editing itself does not grip the attention. Just one good map reading scene and a couple of arguments between the characters about what they were up against would've made some difference. Instead it sort of ambles and bundles its way towards the end with Matt Damon's contribution more like an extended cameo. Ultimately this film could have been allot better.

I'm really shocked at all the negative reviews of this movie. I absolutely LOVE it!! Of course, with this cast we expected greatness and I was NOT disappointed! Everyone in it is brilliant and completely believable. This film is touching, gripping, heart wrenching, and purely wonderful. Yes, there are bits of comic relief- nice little one liners and a little running joke - as well as enough action and surprises, just as every good movie should have. My son (19 when it came out) saw it 3 times in the first 2 weeks! I've seen it 5 times so far. My daughter, 15, who doesn't know much about the time period, loved and completely understood it, gaining a new appreciation for historically accurate movies. I will watch this again and again, any time.