The Good German (2006)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Steven Soderbergh

Writers (WGA):

Paul Attanasio (screenplay)
Joseph Kanon (novel)

Release Date:

14 February 2007 (France)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

If war is hell then what comes after?

Plot:

While in post-war Berlin to cover the Potsdam Conference, an American military journalist is drawn into a murder investigation which involves his former mistress and his driver.

Plot Keywords:

American | Russian | Old Flame | Scientist | Military

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Jack Thompson	...	Congressman Breimer
John Roeder	...	General
George Clooney	...	Jake Geismer
Tobey Maguire	...	Tully
Cate Blanchett	...	Lena Brandt
Dominic Comperatore	...	Levi
Dave Power	...	Lieutenant Schaeffer
Tony Curran	...	Danny
Ravil Isyanov	...	General Sikorsky
J. Paul Boehmer	...	British Press Aide
Igor Korosec	...	Russian Soldier
Boris Kievsky	...	Russian Soldier
Vladimir Kulikov	...	Russian Soldier
Yevgeniy Narovlyanskiy	...	Russian Soldier
Aleksandr Sountsov	...	Russian Soldier

MPAA:

Rated R for language, violence and some sexual content.

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | Russian

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | SDDS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:MA | UK:15 | Finland:K-15 | Ireland:15A | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Netherlands:12 | Germany:12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:11 | Argentina:13 | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Brazil:16 | USA:R (No. 42615) | South Korea:18 | Norway:15 | Canada:14A (Canadian Home Video rating)

Filming Locations:

Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Sunset Gower Studios

Trivia:

David Holmes composed a complete score which was rejected.

Goofs:

Continuity: Throughout the film, people constantly call George Clooney's character Geismar, with an "A". This is also how Tully spells it on his card when he meets Jake at the airport, and it is also how it is spelled in the book. Yet when Jake spells his own name to a soldier at Postdam, he spells it Geismer, with an "E".

Quotes:

Patrick Tully: [threatening a Jewish double amputee] Don't you jew me over the price!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Daily Show: (2006-11-29)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Somebody Else Is Taking My Place

I thought it was great

I thought The Good German was a terrific, thought-provoking, movie, an unsentimental view of what it costs to survive war, for nations and individuals. The cast is excellent: George Clooney is the solid American we know from old movies: not glamorous, not necessarily heroic, but good; Tobey Maguire turns the boy soldier cliché upside down. Cate Blanchett is delicate and beautiful, but colder than ice.

Reporter Clooney comes to Berlin just as the war ends to work, and to find former lover Blanchett. Covering the Potsdam Conference, he uncovers a murder, and the fierce post-war battles between Russia and the U.S. to win Germany's scientists. The movie is filled with people willing to betray any good inclination for their causes, which range from enhanced military strength to a better life away from war-ravaged Germany. What's the price for Clooney's reporter, and is it worth the cost?

I don't see how any thinking person can't find resonance in today's headlines!