Review: The Good German

By: LR Simon

The Artist is not the only film in recent history to try to replicate an early style of film while attempting to maintain some relevance to current times. In 2006, Steven Soderbergh directed The Good German, starring George Clooney as Jacob Geismer, a reporter covering the peace process after World War II in Potsdam, Tobey Maguire as his driver, Tully, and Cate Blanchett as the mysterious Lena, who has a hold on both men.

Stylistically, the movie looks very much like a throwback to the movies of the 1940s: it’s black and white, with a reliance on light and shadow to convey mood; the actors did an excellent job of performing the way film actors did in those days; the score, by Thomas Newman, was reminiscent of some of Bernard Herrmann’s film scores. There’s even a scene that’s visually very similar to a scene in Casablanca, even though the content was vastly different.

The Good German makes some concessions to the 21^st century. Specifically, it does away with much of the Hays Code. The language is much grittier and more realistic than would have been allowed 60 years ago, and while the sex scenes are hardly explicit, they would not have passed muster with the Code.

Paul Attanasio’s script (from the Joseph Kanon novel) is a maze of secrets and reversals that will keep you guessing about specifics, but the final reveal is easily anticipated. That said, it still packs an emotional punch, which is not attributable solely to the performances. Attanasio has a good deal of experience writing scripts with convoluted plots for Homicide: Life on the Street (television) and Donnie Brasco.

The Good German is not an easy movie to recommend. It maintains high production values throughout, but it suffers for its attempt to revive a bygone film style. It will have some interest for fans of older movies, but it doesn't have broad appeal.