In a world of massive technology where our most private information is everywhere, it’s surprising when a story the majority of us were unaware of hits the big screen. Such is the case with The Monuments Men, a true story directed by, co-written (with Grant Heslov) and starring George Clooney.

During WWII Hitler began to raid and empty European museums, castles and cathedrals of nearly 500 million historic and valuable art pieces. His goal? To hide the art so that after the war it would all be showcased in his own Fuhrer Museum. While trying to simultaneously liberate and protect Europe, the Allies, under the command of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, also wanted to safeguard Europe’s art and culture within the realities of war. The Monuments Men formed as a special unit with the objective to save as much of Europe’s material culture from Nazi destruction as possible.

When President Franklin D. Roosevelt approves a proposal by art historian Lt. Frank Stokes (Clooney) – who served in WWI to form a task force to rescue the 1000s of cultural art at risk, the journey begins. Members of this eclectic team agree to go into war zones to recover the treasures, but they have no idea what they are facing.

It was while reading the book by Robert M. Edsel and Bret Witter that Clooney’s producing partner, Grant Heslov, suggested this be their next feature film, and Clooney saw it as way to recapture some of Hollywood’s more focused era as well as to reveal an incredible operation.

“There’s a certain romance around these movies – The Great Escape, The Dirty Dozen, The Guns of Navarone, The Bridge on the River Kwai,” Clooney said.  “In those movies, you fell in love with the characters and the actors as much as the story.  And we thought The Monuments Men was a great chance to cast interesting contemporary actors together for our version of that kind of movie – it’s a fun and entertaining way to do it.”

Although the motley crew goes through a short military training, they are somewhat taken aback when reaching the war zones. However, the men put everything they have on the line to fulfill this assignment – even their own lives if need be.

The cast couldn’t be better. Matt Damon plays James Granger (inspired by James Rorimer, who later became director of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art). Bill Murray portrays architect Richard Campbell, inspired by Robert Posey, who while embedded with Patton’s Third Army during the war, discovered the salt mine at Altaussee where the Nazis had stashed the Ghent Altarpiece and the Bruges Madonna, among many other treasures.

John Goodman plays Walter Garfield, inspired by the real-life Monuments Man Walker Hancock, a renowned sculptor. Jean Dujardin is cast in the role of Jean Claude Clermont, a French Jew and art dealer in Marseilles. Hugh Bonneville from “Downton Abbey” steps in to portray Donald Jeffries, a flawed man seeking a second chance.

Bob Balaban takes on the role of Preston Savitz.  “Savitz is an intellectual, an art historian and a theatrical impresario.” This character is inspired by Monuments Man Lincoln Kirstein, an American impresario, art connoisseur, author, and major cultural figure in New York who co-founded the New York City Ballet. The last Monuments Man is Sam Epstein, played by Dimitri Leonidas.  Epstein, not quite 19, is the only real soldier in the group. He’s been recruited for his ability to drive and to speak German.  The inspiration for Leonidas’s character is Harry Ettlinger.

While on assignment, Granger meets Claire Simone (Cate Blanchett), inspired by real life Rose Valland, an employee of the Jeu de Paume gallery in Paris. Never approving the removal of the treasures, she kept thorough records of where many of the famous paintings or sculptures were sent. Blanchett is easily believable as Claire, even getting a little flirtatious with Granger, who is kind but does not jeopardize his marriage.

In addition to learning how many items the Germans confiscated and destroyed, there are some very touching scenes emphasizing what these men sacrificed. One takes place in a camp where Campbell has just stepped into a rigged shower. The men had received some packages -- and his was a homemade CD from his family. While going into the shower, Savitz puts on the camp PA system. Water streams down Campbell’s face as he listens to the words of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Murray’s exceptional facial expressions in the next few moments project deep sadness, inquiry, and introspection all at the same time. It’s a moment that went right to my heart.  

In another scene, Stokes is addressing his men with a poignant speech. This made the entire film worth seeing for me. “You can wipe out an entire generation, burn their homes to the ground and somehow they will find their way back. But if you destroy their history, their achievements, it’s as if they never existed,” he says. 

The Monuments Men boasts action, surprises, some humor and a lot of humanity.  Composer Alexandre Desplat’s rousing score heightens nearly every scene. I’m sorry to report that the majority of film critics did not like this film. Perhaps it doesn’t include enough sex, drugs or gratuitous violence seen in most movies today.

One critic commented, “It's like an over-the-hill gang variant on The Dirty Dozen, except not as much fun.” Another said Clooney seemed to want to find a new perspective on something as big as World War II by looking at it from a small, specific point of view.

So what’s wrong with a variation on The Dirty Dozen? The film had 12 major film nominations and won six of them. The Monuments Men ends up being much more than a “small, specific point of view.”

It’s stories like these, buried in the past, that make me feel a bit of awe and -- in this case -- a sense of pride about the heroic men who achieved such an important mission. I watched the film twice on two different occasions and both times heard many viewers praising it on the way out.

(Released by Columbia Pictures /Twentieth Century Fox and rated  “PG-13” for some images of war violence and historical smoking.)

Review also posted at www.reviewexpress.com.