The race to save history begins in December, with the release of The Monuments Men, the latest directorial effort from Oscar winner George Clooney.

A new trailer for The Monuments Men has gone online, showing a more dramatic and even action-packed side of the film than perhaps some expected. The focus is less on the eclectic cast of actors, including Bill Murray, Matt Damon, John Goodman and Bob Balaban, and more on the weight of the plot itself: a small squad of soldiers set off on a mission to reclaim and preserve art stolen by Hitler and the Nazis.

"While we must and will win this war, we should also remember the high price that will be paid if the very foundation of modern society is destroyed," Clooney's character, the leader of the squad, says at the start of the trailer. "They tell us, who cares about art? But they're wrong. It's the exact reason we're fighting: for a culture and for a way of life."

The Monuments Men opens on Dec. 18.