The Good German (2006)

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:

Sex | Old Flame | Peace Conference | Double Cross | Stripper

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

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS | DTS

Certification:

Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Brazil:16 | Argentina:13 | USA:R (certificate #42615) | UK:15 | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Sweden:11 | Germany:12 | Ireland:15A | Australia:MA | Singapore:NC-16 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Netherlands:12 | Finland:K-15

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Sunset Gower Studios

Trivia:

The film was shot as if it had been made in 1945. Only studio back lots, sets and local Los Angeles locations were used. No radio microphones were used, the film was lit with only incandescent lights and period lenses were used on the cameras. The actors were directed to perform in a presentational, stage style. The only allowance was the inclusion of nudity, violence and cursing which would have been forbidden by the Production Code.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In two shots you see a double-deck bus. While these existed in Berlin at the time, this one is a London bus as the entry/exit platform is on the left rather than the right.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 79th Annual Academy Awards (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

You're Some Pretty Doll

Old Warner Bros. Lives Again

I didn't expect this movie to be so satisfying, but it was. Maybe old studio films were satisfying because they tied everything up at the end. All of the questions were answered. You knew what would become of the characters after the camera stopped. This movie reminded me of a number of post-war films, The Big Lift and The Third Man in particular. Blanchett, who is not a great beauty but plays one magnificently in movies, is unforgettable as the ultimate surviver. No act is too repulsive, as the opening sequence testifies. (Screenwriting 101 - an early scene should encapsulate character, a short-cut to audience intimacy. Yes, I'm a former screenwriter. I confess.) Clooney, the reluctant movie star, is dead-on as the man who knows nothing, but thinks he knows everything. Can any character be beaten up this often and retain his balls? Clooney can. And then there's Tobey MaGuire's Corporal Tully, the "little picture" guy who can barely see past his "excitement". MaGuire delivers a glove-on-hand performance no one from the golden age of film noir could match. And for film buffs there's even a tip of the hat to Chinatown — just follow the water, Jake. This movie floats in your mind like an after-image long after the DVD has ceased to play.