The Good German
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Movie Reviews of The Good German
Movie Review: A fundamental War Noir!
Summary: 4 Stars
Since the days of Hitchcock's Topaz we had not had the chance to enjoy an original proposal around those unsaid and minuscule sins of war that are absent of the great headlines of the History.
"The good German" is a splendid and potent Noir film that focuses exactly the day before the Potsdam conference.
An American General (Clooney) is sent to Germany in 1945 after having performing as journalist in 1939 when he met Lena Brandt (Cate Blanchet), the femme fatale, whom eventually will have a torrid love affair despite of the fat she is still married with an important assistant of a key scientist who is developing a raising project by then, the V2. When an unexplainable homicide occurs, the thread will lead us to the hidden and sinister reasons backstage.
Filmed in astonishing black and white, we feel the imperious necessity of Soderbergh to pay a homage not only the Noir genre, but besides the German Expressionism, the unforgettable film "The Third man" under the streets of Berlin and specially Casablanca (the last sequence is more than a simple referential)
It's useless to say the principal star of the film is Cate Blanchet (one of the ten top actress all over the world) who really steals the show and looks light years around all the cast. She is the central nerve of the film from start to finish. Her German accent and her astonishing corporal gestures and the fabulous shots make of this film a winner but with just two inexcusable stains.
The choice of Beau Bridges as the Colonel is totally unconvincing. He doesn't demonstrate the perverse energy the role demands, looking absolutely uncomfortable along the film.
There's just an unforgiving flaw along the film. Pay special attention between the minute 30: 11 and 30:25 when we have the discussion between the General and the Colonel. When the discussion is over Clooney leaves the room and so we may observe the chair in which Clooney was sat, but when he is required and advised by the Colonel, the camera shows us the incredible: the chair simply has missed; an unforgiving mistake, keeping in mind the number of so many editors director assistant.
That's why I can't give it five stars.
Movie Review: A good movie, but it could have been much better
Summary: 4 Stars
"The Good German" is a tribute to the old Hollywood classics like "Casablanca," which is the movie that this film tries so hard to emulate. Stylistically, "The Good German" is incredible. The entire movie is filmed in glistening black and white, and it's very hard to distinguish it from a movie that was made 60 years ago. The basic plot is pretty good, too: an American military journalist (George Clooney) arrives in post-war Berlin to cover the Potsdam conference, only to stumble into a murder plot involving his newly-appointed driver (Toby Maguire), a former flame (Cate Blanchett) and her not-quite-dead husband. Unfortunately, "The Good German" fails to generate a strong emotional response from the audience the way "Casablanca" does, which really takes away from the other wonderful accomplishments the talented director and cast managed to achieve.
Clooney delivers an excellent performance, but I was disappointed in Maguire, who seemed very out of place in the film. (Fortunately, his character doesn't stick around for very long.) However, the two shining stars of this film are Blanchett, who delivers a stunning performance in her mysterious role, and the cinematography itself, which is absolutely breathtaking. Being a huge fan of old movies, I really enjoyed this modern throwback to 1940s filmmaking. In my opinion, though, the graphic sexual content and foul language really took away from the classic aesthetic feel director Steven Soderbergh tried so desperately to recreate: it was unnecessary, and it really took away from all the other old-fashioned movie elements.
The final scene in the film is very obviously a recreation of the last scene in "Casablanca." Again, while I enjoyed the tribute, I felt that the last scene of "The Good German" severely lacked the same kind of emotion and passion that "Casablanca" has, which is a real shame. The acting was good, but I really didn't care about what happened to any of the characters, which signifies a major problem with the script.
I hope Soderbergh attempts to do another "modern film noir" movie eventually. He has the look of it down pat: now all he needs is a slightly stronger script, and we'll be back to the days of Bogart and Bergman in no time!
Movie Review: George Clooney's paean to The Third Man
Summary: 4 Stars
Despite what other reviewers said, including those in the local newspaper, I found this mystery entertaining. I went with somewhat lowered expectations.
It is wonderous, if only for the masterful black and white photography. There is something deeply mysterious about highlighted cigarette smoke in a dark room. See the Carroll Reed/Orson Wells classic "The Third Man" & "Casablanca" before seeing this movie, this borrows heavily from both. Full of dirt and bombed out rubble, like The Third Man. The Third Man? Casablanca ? #57 & #2 on American Film Institute's List: Top 100 Greatest Movies? For those who never see anything over 20 years old, movies worth seeing!
Director Soderbergh didn't do a period piece, he did a real authentic forties movies with old cameras and old filming techniques. Orson Wells once said words to the effect that "Did you ever see a good dramatic performance in a color film? All the really good performances are in black and white, Color really distracts..." This is a good example of what artistic black and white can do.
Goegrge Clooney plays Jake, (the Holly Martins type character), searching for Lena (like Anna) an old friend in post WWII Berlin, who used to be a reporter and is now a prostitute. Lena seems to be a minor character at first. I won't reveal more of the plot. Seamless integration of post war footage and the current movie, for film buffs this is a visual treat. A more complex, violent, and more sexual mystery than the Third Man but authentic to the period. You even have Lena walking through the sewers under Berlin (in high heels!) to search for,... well, see the movie. Just like the finale of The Third Man.
One expects to hear Anton Karas's zither playing "The Harry Lime Theme" or "The Cafe Mozart Waltz" from a cafe in the bombed-out city!
It's a tad long but it has the substance of older movies. Yes, it does lack emotion - esp. anger. A pervasive sense of postwar gloom and powerlessness runs through the lead characters. But even with it's flaws, it's an adult movie, and it's much better than 90% of what's out today.
Underappreciated, but with many virtues. True Film Noir.
Movie Review: George Clooney is slapped around
Summary: 4 Stars
THE GOOD GERMAN is one of those films that captures the audience so much with its style and ambience that a relatively weak plot may go unnoticed.
It's on the eve of the 1945 Potsdam Conference in Berlin, and correspondent Jake Geismer (George Clooney) arrives in town to cover the festivities. Almost immediately, his wallet is stolen and, furthermore, he discovers that the girlfriend, i.e. steady hooker, of Tully (Tobey Maguire), his enlisted Army driver, is none other than Lena Brandt (Cate Blanchett), Jake's pre-war stringer and lover. It also soon becomes apparent that the Russians in their occupation zone have a strong interest in finding Lena's ostensibly-dead SS husband, Emil (Christian Oliver). Why? Well, because the Americans seem to want him even more, perhaps because Emil was personal secretary to a top Nazi rocket scientist. But Lena is exasperatingly closed mouthed about the whole affair, so what's she hiding?
THE GOOD GERMAN is gloriously filmed in black in white to mesh with archival footage from the time and place. Trust me, Cate's strong-featured beauty looks good in any color or lack thereof. And though my wife disagrees with me on this, Lena's character may remind one of an enigmatic Marlene Dietrich. In any case, this is Cate's second Oscar-worthy performance of 2006, the first being in NOTES ON A SCANDAL. In the meantime, George's Geismer gets the Bandini beat out of him at every turn, first by Tully, then by Soviet troops and assorted mysterious assailants. It's just not poor Jake's day.
A criticism of the film has been that Lena's ultimate secret isn't worth writing home about. True, it didn't cause me to rise from a slouch in my seat and gasp with amazement. On the other hand, it does illustrate what the director was perhaps intending to show, i.e. that the banality of evil embodied by Hitler's Third Reich depended largely on the predictable and mundane actions of its ordinary citizens. Lest we forget.
Movie Review: It has to be as good as Casablanca?
Summary: 4 Stars
I don't understand the reactions many people---audiences and critics alike---had to this movie. It was made in black and white and set during the war, so therefore it either had to be as good as "Casablanca" or "The Third Man," or it was a piece of junk. I don't follow this logic at all. Was every film-noir movie made in 1945 a five-star masterpiece? I don't think so.
This is a really good movie! In fact I'd put it up there with the director's best work. And not just in terms of craft, which is first-rate, but in terms of the whole package. The acting is excellent, the dialogue crisp and perfect, the pace and structure of the film, everything.
The point is, they tried to do it in this movie like they'd have done it back then, and they did a wonderful job. This movie is a great piece of cinematic storytelling, if it had been released in 1945 it would have been a hit and we'd remember it as a great or near-great film. We wouldn't tear it apart by the seams like people do today. Long story short, see this movie not because it resembles the film noirs of Ye Olde Hollywoode....see it because IT'S A GOOD MOVIE.
My only problem with it is, no extras? Was Soderbergh so incensed by the hostile critical reception to the movie that he refused to put together a commentary and a documentary detailing the making of the movie? Speaking as a fan, I'd like to see what he (and the cast and crew) has to say.