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The Good German
2006
While in post-war Berlin to cover the Potsdam Conference, an American military journalist is drawn into a murder investigation which involves his former mistress and his driver. Read more
| Starring | Cate Blanchett, George Clooney, Beau Bridges, Dominic Comperatore |
|---|---|
| Director | Steven Soderbergh |
| Genres | Drama, Thriller |
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The Good German
While in post-war Berlin to cover the Potsdam Conference, an American military journalist is drawn into a murder investigation which involves his former mistress and his driver.
| Starring | Cate Blanchett, George Clooney, Beau Bridges, Dominic Comperatore |
|---|---|
| Director | Steven Soderbergh |
| Studio | WARNER HOME VIDEO |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 45 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama, Thriller |
| Language | English |
| Hearing-impaired | English |
| Subtitles | English, Arabic, Hebrew |
| Released | DVD: 05 Nov 2007 Production year: 2006 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (2)
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The marketing for the new George Clooney-Steven Soderbergh film is a conscious throwback to the poster for Casablanca: Clooney cutting a heroic profile with Cate Blanchett tucked in behind his... read more »
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Most helpful member's review
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53 out of 60 people found this review helpful
Gripping
I have always been pretty impressed with Soderbergh (ain’t seen Ocean’s 12 so don’t hold that statement against me, please); I think Clooney has a lot to offer even if he isn’t the greatest actor on the planet; and I’m a minor Tobey Maguire fangirl, I don’t think we have seen all that he is capable of and he makes interesting choices. I’m not a fan of black and white films, nor film noir particularly. Have never been able to sit through The Maltese Falcon of Double Indemnity, for example, so I wasn’t mad to see it for that reason.
Now, the general critical consensus seems to be that The Good German is a brave attempt, an interesting experiment that has missed its mark. I say: poppycock. The Good Soldier gripped me the whole way through and I enjoyed it much more than expected. It’s much more than an interesting experiment, it is quite genuinely A Very Good Film. The layers of the mystery peel away in a measured and tantalising way; there are wry laughs; twists and gasps; great locations; sharp attitude; wonderful music and it looks absolutely ravishing.
And, to those who would compare this to Casablanca or The Third Man, again I say: poppycock. It’s no more relevant than comparing Unforgiven to High Noon. Using that logic we would never have had Chinatown (which would make a great double bill with The Good German, by the way). And if you hold that the only point of making a black and white film using period-appropriate technology in 2007 is to make it better than before: Soderbergh has proven that there are only two kinds of film: good and bad. Whether the film is black and white or colour; shot on location or sound-stage; filled with pyrotechnics and special effects or a couple of alley brawls; 120 minutes or 190 – it makes no odds if the heart isn’t there. The Good Soldier may not have the lasting appeal and cultural impact of Casablanca, but it’s a darn sight more enjoyable, creative and provocative than hundreds of colour films on general release this year or last.
One bum note – potentially controversial – I do not rate Cate Blanchett. She’s just another big ham, she’s all cold technique and no emotion, she keeps the characters she plays at arm’s length and telegraphs all the she’s up to. She just does not do it for me. Having said that, her style suits this picture remarkably well. She’s melodramatic and bereft of any humour and quite self conscious but it does work. However, she uses a dreadful super-deep femme fatale voice which is like a bad French & Saunders parody saying things like ‘you can nefah leaf Berlin’ in tones dredged up from her boots.
Lastly, I would say it might take the first few scenes to get used - if you like - to the idiom and the visual language of the whole thing, because it looks so spot-on that the temptation is to think of it as a piss-take but get over that and you’ll be sold. -
Most recent members' review
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Disappointed of Potsdamm
I love everyone connected with this film - Soderbergh, Clooney, Blanchett and even Toby Maguire on a good day. However, this film was a modern film noir that was just too self conscious, perhaps Soderbergh was trying a little too hard. The characters did not gel and the story was just a bit too predictable with no real shocks. The real downside for me was how badly the 'driving through Berlin with bombed out scenery backgrounds' was done. Okay this looked fine in the 1940's and '50's in the great noir films but here it just ended up looking a bit naff. I really wanted to like this film but in trying too hard to recreate the genre Soderbergh just missed the mark.
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News and features
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Maguire joins Clooney for The Good German
- 22 Apr 2005
Tobey Maguire has been confirmed as the latest A-list star to join the cast of Steven Soderbergh's latest film The Good German. The actor, best known for his lead role in the Spider-Man movies, will play a soldier in post-war Berlin, alongside George Clooney and Cate Blanchett. The Good German is the latest offering from Soderbergh, and, as director of Ocean's Eleven and Ocean's Twelve, he is no stranger to working with former ER heart-throb Clooney. Cate Blanchett, fresh from her role in The... Read more
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While in post-war Berlin to cover the Potsdam Conference, an American military journalist is drawn into a murder investigation which involves his former mistress and his driver. ... -