Cheering from the back row

MONUMENTS MEN
Director George Clooney
Cert PG-13
118 minutes

Ignore the mainstream reviews of the film, or the problem some had with the alleged confusion over what mood George Clooney was aiming for (classic, epic, nostalgic, slick, clichéd). This is a film worth seeing if you want an evening which is entertaining and, lightly, thought-provoking.

A smattering of blood and bad language (sadly), some tense moments – the best of which showed the power of the bonds of real brotherly love – and the beautiful cinematic juxtaposition of the horror of death in a field hospital with a stunningly pure voice singing a Christmas song, make this into an almost 1940s war film, but with relatively little jingoism.