The Good German (C+ or 2.5/4 stars)
'The Good German' is a drama/ film noir directed by Steven Soderbergh. Germany, summer of '45: war journalist, Jake Geismar (George Clooney), arrives to cover the Potsdam Conference. But he's also there to find an old flame, Lena (Cate Blanchett), a German Jew, and prostitute; she's desperate to get out of Berlin. Jake discovers that his driver, Corporal Tully (Tobey Maguire), is Lena's current keeper. Before long, a man's body washes along Russia's sector of the Potsdam River. But with the Nazis on trial, the Russians & Americans have their eye(s) turned. So it's only Jake who finds it pertinent to discover the murderer. The film is engrossing at the start. The cinematography is hauntingly beautiful. But the story & its characters are weak and uninteresting throughout.
Not only has this man been drudged from the river, but Jake is also searching for a certain German-gone-missing, Emil Brandt. Turns out, he is Lena's husband! Can Jake solve the mystery? Can he find Lena? If he does, will she love him enough to leave her homeland? What deep, dark, guilty secrets does Lena harbor? What secrets will uncover some critical war crimes? Who lives, who dies? But frankly, who cares?
OK, so, this film covers war, crime, surprise deaths, rockets, black marketing, escapes, scandal, concentration camps, and still ... I was pretty bored. But the visual style, sumptuous blacks & whites, twisted camera angles, and purposely cold tones save the film from being a potentially C-/2 star film. Soderbergh focuses so much so on the stylish 1940's-like cinematography that he misses the mark on the pseudo-intellectual narrative & its characters.
The World War II theme is somewhat hollow. The script is on the weak side. Nothing that anyone says is overly revelatory or intriguing. I was rarely engaged during the MANY sub-plots. This made it somewhat tedious. Clooney is a bit too self-conscious as Jake. Maguire is miscast. And Blanchett is slothfully somber as Lena. Well-acted, but probably 'too' well acted, if that makes sense. 'The Good German' has its moments. The music score is a stand-out aspect. The film is not a total loss. But watch it for the style, and try to ignore the muddled storytelling.
Not only has this man been drudged from the river, but Jake is also searching for a certain German-gone-missing, Emil Brandt. Turns out, he is Lena's husband! Can Jake solve the mystery? Can he find Lena? If he does, will she love him enough to leave her homeland? What deep, dark, guilty secrets does Lena harbor? What secrets will uncover some critical war crimes? Who lives, who dies? But frankly, who cares?
OK, so, this film covers war, crime, surprise deaths, rockets, black marketing, escapes, scandal, concentration camps, and still ... I was pretty bored. But the visual style, sumptuous blacks & whites, twisted camera angles, and purposely cold tones save the film from being a potentially C-/2 star film. Soderbergh focuses so much so on the stylish 1940's-like cinematography that he misses the mark on the pseudo-intellectual narrative & its characters.
The World War II theme is somewhat hollow. The script is on the weak side. Nothing that anyone says is overly revelatory or intriguing. I was rarely engaged during the MANY sub-plots. This made it somewhat tedious. Clooney is a bit too self-conscious as Jake. Maguire is miscast. And Blanchett is slothfully somber as Lena. Well-acted, but probably 'too' well acted, if that makes sense. 'The Good German' has its moments. The music score is a stand-out aspect. The film is not a total loss. But watch it for the style, and try to ignore the muddled storytelling.