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The Good German

The Good German

2006
Romance, Drama
1h 45m
U.S. Army correspondent Jake Geismar becomes embroiled with Lena Brandt, a former lover whose missing husband is the object of a manhunt by both the American and Russian armies.
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The Good German

2006
Romance, Drama
1h 45m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 36.64% from 650 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(650)
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Rated 12 Apr 2007
65
24th
As an experiment in "Can we make a new movie that looks very old," it is excellently done. However, it mostly just made me want to go watch "The Third Man" again.
Rated 17 Jan 2013
69
51st
I didn't find this as bad as I was led to believe. But then again, I've always had a particular soft spot for Soderbergh, Clooney, formalism, the post-war period and classic black-and-white cinematography.
Rated 07 Mar 2007
77
66th
It looks fantastic. I loved the style of the film. George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, Robin Weigert and Tobey Maguire are all excellent (I was particularly impressed with how good Tobey is at being an asshole). I didn't think Christian Oliver was anything special, though it might have just been his character who never seems all that interesting. The ending, Lena's secret revealed, seems to just be tossed in rather than actually being important. It's a good film but I was hoping for better.
Rated 26 Sep 2007
33
12th
The novelty of Soderbergh's studio system approach wears off quickly. Apart from the incongruity of profanities and sexual imagery used in a film that could otherwise settle nicely into a day of TCM programming, the technique doesn't seem to have much of a point. Cate Blanchett delivers endearingly mannered character work. George Clooney is in that mode where he lazily coasts on empty charisma. Worst is Tobey Maguire, who is using some sort of Method hyper-realism that is well beyond his grasp.
Rated 23 Oct 2011
23
9th
Looks really neat, but sucks pretty bad. Hilarious to see Clooney go like 0 and 12 in all the fights he has in it, though.
Rated 30 Jun 2010
60
10th
It fails as a pastiche; black and white and period lighting equipment does not a forties noir movie make. The editing is too frantic. The story has really nothing sincere to offer, and George Clooney gets beaten up from sniffing around too much multiple times like clockwork.
Rated 25 Sep 2012
50
49th
I was annoyed by so much German speaking without translations. The movie is sometimes hard to like, though it does have the feel of old Film Noir in black and white. Tobey Maquire was unconvincing. The story twists and turns often, alternating between interesting and confusing. Cate Blanchett was marvelous as a dark woman doing whatever she must to survive intolerable situations. Some of the movie is good but the ending was disappointing. George Clooney was not exceptional.
Rated 02 Jan 2009
60
30th
Tonally wrong. Not sure how to put my finger on it but the film just doesn't work properly. It takes more to make a good noir than filming in black and white. It's a pretty boring movie, couldn't hold my attention really. And the score is REALLY distracting. I LOVE old noir movies, but the score on this just felt like they were trying too hard...
Rated 08 Mar 2007
66
38th
No, it's nothing to write home about, but I'd rather watch this than "Night At The Museum" or "We Are Marshall". Already underrated.
Rated 19 Dec 2008
68
71st
Good film. Nothing more, nothing less. Solid acting performance, good directing. Still, the story is just so-so and the film as a whole is just not one to remember.
Rated 25 Apr 2008
58
40th
I really admire what Soderbergh was trying to do here, and in terms of style I think he nailed it -- right down to the full-frame presentation. The story just isn't compelling enough. Or rather, it is in parts, but the payoff is extremely weak. It owes a lot to Casablanca obviously, and a 'classic' film with modern talent is always refreshing (Maguire especially is great playing against type). There's just 10mins or so missing from the film's ending: it comes too abrupt to be satisfying.
Rated 21 Sep 2008
70
38th
the good film ,,,
Rated 22 Oct 2010
10
9th
"It's a political tale with no significant contemporary reverberations, a turgid espionage-tinged romance with no soul, and a play-it-again aesthetic showpiece without a point." - Nick Schager
Rated 25 May 2013
68
32nd
Ostentatious in the extreme, but Soderbergh's tribute to/re-working of CASABLANCA is, like all of the director's films, not entirely without interest, if only as a showcase for Blanchett, who proves she is as good a stand-in for Ingrid Bergman as anyone could be. Harsh violence (and harsher language) uncharacteristic of the film world being evoked is jarring, and the story at its core is not especially interesting or involving, but the tribute to 40s noir sensibilities...
Rated 01 Jul 2009
40
2nd
I hate to do it, but steven sometimes you just make bad movies. This movie was boring and trite and could have possibly stamped out any hope of soderbergh being a great filmmaker. Sure he has other movies to fall back on but you want so much more in this one, and it never puts out. It is lazy, and sad trying to hard to be a film noir without any reason for it to be indicated as such. Waste your time on something else. Watch this when there is truly nothing else.
Rated 30 Oct 2012
66
13th
First things first - I just confused between all the characters in the movie. The fact that it is a black & white doesn't help to tell apart the Americans, Russians, British and Germans from each other. Apart from the above par acting by Clooney there is nothing else in the movie worth a watch. Kate Blanchett does her role so well that you actually hate her as the end of the movie approaches. All in all, don't bother watching it.
Rated 23 Feb 2014
38
33rd
can't help but like the style - reminded me most of The Murderers are Among Us, an inevitably better film. of course the film doesn't really work on its own but i don't think it even tries to; every frame is a reference or a homage. the whole surrealism of it is cool.
Rated 02 Oct 2013
47
8th
47.000
Rated 08 Apr 2011
60
22nd
An interesting and exciting filmmaking experiment, Soderbergh nails the feel and visuals of the Golden Age wartime romance, particularly in the way the lighting bleeds across the landscape; it's also not a bad deconstruction of their often tame presentations of violence, throwing brutality in with the nostalgia. However, the three leads - one faithful homage (Clooney), one knowing deconstruction (Blanchett) and one modern thriller (Maguire) - are endemic of the film's basic crisis of identity.
Rated 01 Jun 2008
50
35th
Passes the time.
Rated 26 Dec 2010
60
54th
True film noir. George Clooney is from a different time, and he proves it here. As a genre piece it's great, but the way post-war Germany is visualised, is a bit distracting. The voice-over change worked out fine( much to my surprise), and yes, it's fairly entertaining too.
Rated 02 Jun 2008
84
62nd
Surprisingly film noir, something I did not expect going in. I like the merger of the genre with a new setting. Only 84 because it can drag a bit at times and the climax is a bit of a letdown, but the atmosphere is great as is the homage to 40's noir films.
Rated 18 Oct 2008
43
42nd
worth a watch
Rated 22 Sep 2013
31
9th
I get what this was trying to do but it never quite reaches the heights of a 40s Noir film - while the film tries to emulate that style it also tries to be more gritty and modern (swearing, sexuality, violence) and it creates a weird tonal clash where nothing ever seems quite right. The film looks good but it's a little hollow inside - it's an imitation rather than an emulation. Tobey Maguire is also horrendously miscast, and maybe Clooney too. Plot was interminable boredom on screen.
Rated 11 Aug 2007
46
23rd
I think Tobey Maguire could be a great actor when he's called upon to play a bad actor.
Rated 26 Apr 2008
30
7th
Film noir's importunate nihilistic spirit doesn't arise and establish itself trustworthily, making the film uninteresting and dull throughout. The actors are lifeless (the characters in a noir is supposed to be tired of the world, indeed, but the actors don't manage to convey this feeling/attitude convincingly), and the script boring except a few humorous lines (characterized by a suitable frigidity). Incredibly boring.
Rated 29 Dec 2008
33
17th
M: 35/100, S: 30/100 Mike: Pretentious and silly. This reaches far beyond Steven Soderbergh's capabilities and comes off as an art-school piece (like many of his films). Luckily, he brings along a few actors who completely fail too (Clooney and Maguire). Cate Blanchett is really good, but that is about it. Sophia: I hope to never see Tobey Maguire in another movie again, the guy couldn't act his way out of a paper bag (does that make sense? probably not).
Rated 17 Sep 2007
50
22nd
good ideas...dull film
Rated 27 Jul 2013
80
37th
George Clooney gets his ass kicked like six times in this movie. You definitely start to feel bad for him. This is a good one, though. I like the appropriation of 1945 moviemaking techniques to modern-day content (Tobey Maguire railing a chick in Academy Ratio black and white is jarring, yup) though it might've been more interesting as an experiment if it wasn't a period piece.
Rated 10 Aug 2007
58
45th
The movie was well made, but seemed to drag on a bit. Maybe I should watch it again to make sure I didn't miss anything. :)
Rated 10 Apr 2017
70
41st
Once again I enjoy a Soderbergh experiment more than everyone else for some reason. The problem is that it's way more airless and self-serious than those war-time noirs really were, so it can get a little boring at times, but the arcane, impossible-to-follow-the-first-time plot and anti-climactic ending are both straight out of The Big Sleep and its ilk, and it looks gorgeous. Not the most amazing thing I've ever watched, but I found it entertaining.
Rated 01 Jan 2011
40
6th
39.500
Rated 24 Feb 2008
67
30th
Soderbergh's tribute to noir. He does wonders with the photographic style, the film looks absolutely beautiful. But it's all too self-conscious and gimmicky, and even on paper sounds like a bad idea. Peppering the film with nudity and the f-bomb is pretty much a no-win situation. Doing it in a movie SET in the 40's is one thing, but when you're trying to emulate a movie FROM the 40's, it shatters the illusion. Not really worth watching, but the cinematography is very nice.
Rated 29 Apr 2009
40
22nd
This was a movie that had a ton of potential. You have a great cast, a pretty good director and a great idea, especially filming a film noir movie in black and white. But the story was really weak and very uninteresting. The acting was alright, but for the cast that was involved, this should have been better. The only one who stood out was Tobey Maguire. He was excellent and when you see what happens top him, the movie just falls from there. This was a major disappointment.
Rated 28 Dec 2018
5
18th
Stylishly done with all the elements of noir but the story itself is lacking and possibly the leads too recognisable to be believable or endearing.
Rated 25 May 2021
60
32nd
Soderbergh clearly has a knack for emulating classic Hollywood that he should use more, even if the three leads (Clooney/Blanchett/Maguire) are some of the most recognizable non-1940s actors ever. Feels like they all time traveled.
Rated 01 Dec 2022
60
58th
ger; [the good german]; nach dem krieg bekommt ein amerikanischer korespondent in berlin zugang zu seiner ehemaligen geliebten, dessen mann zum ziel der russischen und amerikanischen suche wird.;

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