THE GOOD GERMAN review by Mark Walters

THE GOOD GERMAN

Let's face it, films today aren't like they used to make them. The days of black and white motion pictures had a certain feeling and panache to them that has long since disappeared. It's the very reason TV channels like AMC have been around for so long. The nostalgia of those movies from yesteryear is timeless. It's as if Hollywood had a certain magic that hadn't yet been tainted by commercialism, even if in many ways it already had. Director Steven Soderbergh must've wanted to sincerely capture that style once more, and prove that after all these years it still works. THE GOOD GERMAN is an exercise in nostalgia. Shot in black in white without many of the modern day elements so commonly used in filmmaking, it's meant to transport us back in time, both through story and in appearance. The question is whether or not today's audiences will be open-minded enough to accept it.

Based on the novel by Joseph Kanon, THE GOOD GERMAN takes place in Germany during 1945. The German threat is all but gone, and the Russians are now under suspicion from American troops still in the country. Patrick Tulley (Tobey Maguire) is an enthusiastic jeep driver, who is assigned to chauffer Captain Jacob Geismer (George Clooney). With the war over, both of these men seem stuck in limbo, lacking any real direction or purpose in the ravaged country. Tully is secretly seeing a prostitute named Lena Brandt (Cate Blanchett), and promises her safe passage out of Germany to America. But he soon discovers her former husband, now believed dead, is frantically being looked for by both American officials and the Russian army. Seeing an opportunity, Tulley cuts a deal with Russian General Sikorsky (Ravil Isaynov), using Lena as bait. But Captain Geismer has a past with her, and gets caught in the middle of a murder investigation. Now Jacob must learn the truth behind Lena's husband, and figure out who can and can't be trusted, all the while trying to stay alive himself.

While it's clear that Soderbergh was trying hard to give this film a classic look and feel, there are a few areas that ultimately hurt the end result badly. The first and most glaring is the excessive use of the "F" word in many scenes. While violence is handled mostly off-screen, and in the same downplayed fashion as older films, the abrasive language stands out like a sore thumb. There's just no reason for it, and it easily could've been left out altogether. It wouldn't have hurt the film, and in several ways could've improved the overall experience. The second downside is Tobey Maguire. While he's proven himself a competent actor in other movies, Tobey is sadly miscast here. His intense and overdramatic performance comes off as annoying. Now granted, his character isn't one you're necessarily supposed to like, but I found his portrayal distracting and uninspired. George Clooney is effective enough, but he's only moderately acceptable in the lead role. He has the look and demeanor of a classic screen actor, but the character he plays never seems to come to full conception in the story. This is a tough part to cast too, since the wrong actor could've destroyed the entire thing, but regardless of whether or not Clooney was the right man for the job, he never quite hits it home. Cate Blanchett is an interesting choice for Lena. She does have a classic look here, and her character is interesting, but we never fall in love with her, and isn't that what really matters in a "love" story like this? She tries very hard to channel the acting styles of Marlene Dietrich and Ingrid Bergman, and it's almost a bit too close of a forced imitation to be taken seriously. The supporting cast is pretty decent. The versatile Tony Curran has some nice moments as a sympathetic bartender who's become a trusted ally for Lena, and Beau Bridges turns in a solid performance as an American Colonel whose motives are never quite clear to our hero.

While on the surface this film appears to be a love story set after the war, it's really a rather complicated mystery. The nostalgic feel is there, and it's an interesting film to watch, but in the end we're not exactly wowed. There are some obvious nods to classic films like CASABLANCA, which come across as sincere, though perhaps a bit too familiar at times. I really wanted to like this movie, and there were parts of it that truly worked, but as it came to an end I was left wanting. The concept behind a movie like this is infinitely fascinating. Soderbergh went out of his way to avoid the modern day methods of filmmaking, going so far as to ban present day camera lenses and microphones, and instead use the instruments of the old days. All of the sets were studio back lots and local Los Angeles locations. Even the lighting and sound was produced in the most old-fashioned way possible. And the aspect ratio of the film matches that of classic films. The dedication to his homage is respectable, but unfortunately misguided and hurt by the inclusion of excessive cursing and a scene of nudity, neither of which would ever have passed code so many years ago. Even the pacing seems unusually slow, despite the movie's respectable running time (about an hour and forty-five minutes). Perhaps the most effective part of the film is Thomas Newman's moving score. From the moment the Warner Brothers logo appears, Newman slaps us in the face with inspired musical greatness. THE GOOD GERMAN isn't a complete loss. Fans of Silver Screen classics will most likely enjoy the attempted effort here, though chances are they won't be strongly recommending it to those with similar tastes. Considering the film's look, if you're going to see it at all, it's probably best to see it on the big screen. I loved the idea, just not crazy about the execution... but to each his own.

BIGFANBOY.com score - On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being best, I give THE GOOD GERMAN a 6.

Visit the official Warner Brothers THE GOOD GERMAN movie website by clicking here.

Buy this double-sided poster for The Good German

TAKE ME HOME