Good (2008)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Vicente Amorim

Writers:

C.P. Taylor (play)
John Wrathall (screenplay)

Release Date:

11 December 2008 (Hungary)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

The rise of national socialism in Germany should not be regarded as a conspiracy of madmen. Millions of "good" people found themselves in a society spiralling into terrible chaos. A film about then, which illuminates the terrors of now.

Plot Keywords:

Dementia | Novel | Professor | Germany | Neurotic

Cast

Viggo Mortensen	...	John Halder
Jason Isaacs	...	Maurice
Jodie Whittaker	...	Anne
Steven Mackintosh	...	Freddie
Mark Strong	...	Bouhler
Gemma Jones	...	Mother
Anastasia Hille	...	Helen
Ruth Gemmell	...	Elizabeth
Ralph Riach	...	Brunau
Steven Elder	...	Eichmann
Kevin Doyle	...	Commandant
David de Keyser	...	Mandelstam
Guy Henry	...	Doctor
Adrian Schiller	...	Goebbels
Rick Warden	...	Brownshirt

Runtime:

USA:96 min | Canada:96 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

UK | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Ireland:15A | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Budapest, Hungary

Company:

Good Films

Trivia:

Romola Garai was cast as the female lead but backed out to take some time off movies to concentrate on University. Jodie Whittaker replaced her.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: In the scene, when Halder takes a walk with his ex-wife in the cemetery, which is supposed to be in Berlin, Germany, Hungarian names are clearly visible on the gravestones.

Not Too Good

The main problem with Good is the lack of authenticity. The actors are seen to act rather than be.

When compared with the excellent Sophie Scholl, which on a modest budget created something believable and shocking, Good feels staged and forced.

Also the pacing is off with large leaps in time yet with little character development.

The choice of using English as the main language could have worked, as was proved with The Reader but some performances in Good are far too modern, as is the case with the student that later becomes the wife. The Mother is also far too theatrical and unconvincing.

What is left is a soulless movies that tells us nothing new about the times in which it is set. There are much better and more dramatic films out there that have the power to enlighten, unfortunately Good is not one of them.