Good German

Pros: A homage to the black and white noir films of the forties.
Cons: Everything! Soderbergh is trying to be too clever here.

Having read Joseph Kanon's excellent novel, T he Good German, I was rather pleased to find out that there was going to be a film version made. Not only that, but there was going to be some of my favourite actors cast in ...

Pros: Interesting look, great soundtrack
Cons: Boring, slow

George Clooney is director Steven Soderbergh’s go-to man like Johnny Depp is for Tim Burton. When they are both on top of things, they produce some good stuff like the Oceans series or Out of Sight. However, when they are being experimental ...

Pros: great visual war film
Cons: political themes aren’t sufficiently integrated in final product

Great films seem to always be about love and figuring out where it goes wrong. For War films there is always a sense of regret about what could have been done better to hold onto a lover or make things better in the face of adversity. The Good German ...

Pros: Pacing of film. Blanchett's performance.
Cons: Too many "Casablanca" vibes.

Coming off an academy award winning performance, George Clooney teams with Cate Blanchett and Tobey Maguire to create a mildly entertaining film, The Good German. Cast: George Clooney - Capt. Jacob 'Jake' Geismer Tobey Maguire - ...

Pros: An interesting experimental film recreation of a 1945 mystery.
Cons: Not action packed, may seem slow in parts.

The Good German (2006) Directed by Steven Soderbergh Written by Paul Attanasio from the novel by Joseph Karon. This little known film is an experiment by director Steven Soderbergh. Filmed in Black and White, using the same type of sound ...

Pros: Atmospheric.
Cons: The film feels like it's trying way to hard

I'll must admit, the last sequence at the end of "The Good German" made me smile just a bit. A shot of a plane reading itself for flight, propeller blazing..... a quick cut to the hero's face as the rain falls down around him. I'll say this..... I ...

Pros: Trying to be intelligent
Cons: Confusing, not well done, a failed effort to be dramatic

This movie is shot in black and white in an attempt to look like movies of the 40's. The first few shots are jarring, trying to be artistic, but are, in fact, disruptive. The story unfolds slowly in 1945 with George Clooney returning to post-war Germany as an American reporter (who does no reporting or writing), just tailing around after Kate Blanchett, the woman who'd previously been his stringer and lover, now (and we find out much later in the movie what this is about) involved with his driver. Her ex-husband is very much wanted by both the Germans as well as the Americans, and we are meant to get involved in the suspense and drama of Clooney trying to save her and figure out if her husband is still alive, what part she played in the war, etc.

It's one of those movies whose plot can't be revealed until the end because it has only the suspense and mystery to make it potentially interesting. But the actors aren't compelling, the story is muddy and confusing. In short, it's too long and a cheap imitation of better movies.