For all the viewers who laments that movies are not made like they were in the past, The Good German is a welcoming gift for you despite its imperfections. While director Steven Soderbergh pays tribute to the golden age of Hollywood black and white melodramas, lacks the deep emotional structure and romance of Casablanca- the 1946 classic by Michael Curtiz that is obviously where The Good German was based, he succeeds in delivering a dark reminder that films can be appreciated just by being done correctly. Trying very hard to re-create the look and feel of a Michael Curtiz production, Soderbergh (under his Pseudonym Peter Andrews) made it through great lengths aesthetically and technically with cinematography. Meanwhile, the plot is based on the novel by Joseph Kanon and re-written for the screen by Paul Attanasio, a renowned Quiz Show screenwriter. Set in Germany after World War II, the script offers a twisting plot circling the historical Potsdam conference. Captain Jake Geismer (George Clooney) is a journalist for the American military who came to Berlin to get dibs on the event and instantly finds himself dragged down into a murder plan involving his driver (Tobey Maguire), a prostitute (Cate Blanchett) and her missing husband, and a scientist who has information on vital secrets stolen by the Russians and Americans in the bid for power before the Cold War.
Exhibiting sexual content, violence, and salty language clearly points out that this R-rated melodrama is a contemporary shot at paying homage to films from the past eras and not just a menial to copy what was done in the past. Doing so made the film’s overall charm lead to mixed results. The movie is beautifully created but the performances and the plot pull at each other in a vacuum, making the film unusually far from any aspect of human emotion. It may be fair to conclude that Soderbergh had more fun time while making the film than many people will have when they watch it. Considering Clooney’s performance as his character is betrayed and beaten many times on his way to sardonic enlightenment, The Good German also has qualities to make it recommendable, but the least is having to follow a gifted director indulge in his desire for brash experimentation.
. –Jeff Shannon