The Good German (2006)

Absolutely the worst movie.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Style is everything in this soulless film. Clooney delivers nothing other than Clooney, Blanchett her usual wooden hot as ice whore and Toby Maguire a foul mouthed scumbag who thankfully is made redundant but, not quite soon enough. The WW11 40's settings look great in crisp B/W (well, color drained b/w). The Ted McCord and James Wong Howe (etc) styled photography is the real star and without this I would have fallen asleep as did others. Cigarette company's must throw bags of money at film-makers who move into this era, as my eyes and lungs were burning just watching the unrealistic depiction of all those cancer sticks burning at every minute. It's difficult to believe this screenplay was adapted by the same writer as 'Quiz Show' - what a come down or was it the fault of the novelist who's one and only work this was?. Not one character has any redeeming qualities - leaving us no-one to care for. This also leaves the viewer with little interest in following an overly convoluted story. Thomas Newman's music score leans towards being a neat copy of Bernard Herman's 'Kane', Psycho', (etc) with Steven Soderbergh's direction modeled along the lines of Wells, Hitchcock, et all. While most of the film is technically good looking some scene's are let down by vastly over-lit sets. Soderbergh also acquits himself as a most capable cinematographer (as Peter Andrews?) but, the story is cold beyond any warming. Could have been improved greatly with better writing. Looks like most audiences wisely knew to stay away - making it little wonder the money did not flow back into this huge budget, cloned, box office bomb....

Designed to resemble film noirs from the 1940s, "The Good German" is a somewhat interesting experiment by director Steven Soderbergh. Loosely divided into 3 sections, each with its own narrator, the film stars Cate Blanchett as a German Jew who's attempting to protect her husband from both American and Russian forces. Set in 1945, when the Soviet Union and the United States were busy carving up a recently surrendered Germany, the film watches as Blanchett uses her feminine wiles to strike up various deals with American and Russian officials. Why? As her husband is a renowned rocket scientist, both sides want him for their rocket programs, programs which will form the bedrock of Cold War posturing. And if they cant have him? Well, then he's better off dead. Blanchett does her best to prevent this.With her high cheekbones and porcelain skin, Blanchett's cast because of her resemblance to Hollywood sirens of old. Alongside her is actor George Clooney, who's rocking a Cary Grant face and a bottle full of smug. "Cassablanca", "The Third Man", "A Foreign Affair", "Germany Year Zero" and various old noirs (and neorealist films) are Soderbergh's chief influences. Much of his film's first act consists of heavy-handed stylistic attempts to evoke films of the era. These include lots of dutch angles, wipes, canted shots, noir lighting, old Hollywood aspect ratios, and "traditional" blocking/mise-en-scene. While this initially lends the film an overly busy, overly desperate tone, things eventually settle down somewhat to become something a bit more gentle and introspective. For fans of old noirs, the film ably evokes a certain nostalgia. But that's all it does. It's a rushed, slight film, which is frustrating considering the potentially heavy subject matter at hand.7.9/10 – Better to ditch the homages and take things a bit more seriously. Worth one viewing.

I was surely not thrilled in the movie by the story, by the acting, and certainly by the flow of the events. It seemed to me like a remake of The Third Man where the suspense was at a much higher level. Most of what happens there happens here as well without any surprise. I cannot even imagine this not being evident to the director. Maybe George Clooney factor was here due to his all movie long glances. He looks like he forgot the line he was supposed to say and the way long mysticism trying to be created by Blanchet. Anyway I was expecting something better. Just had to live through with it until the end. Could have made more of my Sunday evening by watching something else.

When I heard about a modern past-war movie that would settle in destroyed and desperate Germany that was turned in intense black and white images and would include actors like George Clooney, I was really looking forward to this movie. Well, I guess I expected a little bit too much.The story has surely some interesting points and is also quite realistic, but somehow very difficult to follow. The actors mostly play without any emotions, especially George Clooney is doing a horribly weak job and the cold-hearted and not very credible Cate Blanchett isn't much better. Only Tobey Maguire as a hectic, emotional and unexperienced military guy who falls in love with a mysterious German "femme fatale" does a convincing job.Another minor detail that personally annoyed me is the fact that most of the actors that are trying to speak German are doing a horrible job, especially Cate Blanchett is not very easy to understand. As a native speaker I know that German is a very difficult language, but this film wants desperately be as atmospheric, precise and realistic as possible, so the actors should have had the help of some good German teachers for the few dialogues they do in German. The Gemran dialogues seem because of this lack of professionalism almost inaudible and silly.From an aesthetic point of view, the movie has a great atmosphere because it is turned in black and white what fits to the desperate and dark situation after the war and some camera shootings are also well done and directed. But this is sadly not enough to make this slow-paced and emotionless movie entertaining enough, even for a German or someone who is interested in history like me.To keep it short, the images and the atmosphere of the movie are well done, but the story and the acting could have been way better.