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The Good German
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The Good German (2006) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 79 | slideshow) Videos (see all 12)
The Good German (2006) -- 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.
The Good German (2006) -- Clip: You should have never come back to Berlin
The Good German (2006) -- Interview: Cate Blanchett "The Film's Location"
The Good German (2006) -- 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.
The Good German (2006) -- 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.

Overview

User Rating:
6.1/10   11,110 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 3% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Steven Soderbergh
Writers (WGA):
Paul Attanasio (screenplay)
Joseph Kanon (novel)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Good German on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
14 February 2007 (France) more
Genre:
Drama | Mystery | Thriller more
Tagline:
If war is hell then what comes after? more
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. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations more
User Comments:
40's Movie styling does not a thriller make. more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for language, violence and some sexual content.
Runtime:
105 min
Country:
USA
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
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)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
When Geismar checks Lena's file in the Records archive at Military Government headquarters, he discovers only a note in the folder saying the file has been "sent to Overcast." Operation Overcast was the U.S. Army's 1945 operation to bring German rocket scientists (such as Wernher Von Braun) and their families to America following the end of the war. (It was later re-named Operation Paperclip.) more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: When Tully is leaving Sikorsky's office, he is supposed to have a broken right arm. Yet, when he rises from the chair, you can see him push off the arm with his right arm (both arms, actually) and then open the door with his right hand. more
Quotes:
Hannelore: It's easy now to say Hitler was wrong about the Jews. Let me tell you something. Nobody said he was wrong at the time. more
Movie Connections:
Featured in The 79th Annual Academy Awards (2007) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
Somebody Else Is Taking My Place more

FAQ

Is this movie based on a true story?
more
80 out of 111 people found the following comment useful:-
40's Movie styling does not a thriller make., 12 February 2007
5/10
Author: Espontaneo from Edinburgh Scotland

Soderbergh continues to experiment, but as with Solaris, it just doesn't pay off.

Its clear that from the off that Soderbergh has set himself a strict mandate for this film, make it as much like a forties movie as possible. The music, the acting style, the lighting, the process shots and background paintings all give it a great look and feel.

However, everything is so low key and downbeat that it fails to deliver any suspense or menace. What is essentially a modern thriller dressed as classic noir just isn't thrilling. The plot twist and turns but the drama is never heightened, the pace never seems to increase, it just plods along to its conclusion.

Apart from the sex and swearing, the actors seem straight jacketed into their roles by the 40's styling seemingly because the script lacks any of the dry wit and charm you'd find in a genuine movie of this era. George Clooney for example has every little to do, his character has none of the snappy dialog you'd expect, given his Marlowe-esquire role in the plot. Soderbergh compounds matters by drawing an unfortunate comparison with Bogart. Though generally the acting was of the high quality you'd expect from such a sterling cast, it's difficult to empathise with their characters plights given the lack of suspense or melodrama.

Overall the experiment fails to deliver anything other than a beautifully shot but unengaging film.

Very disappointing.

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Message Boards

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
swearing andy0862
The Third Man (1949) blueharvestblues
Cate Blanchet's performance is absolutely wonderful! Is it Casablanca 2? m_haeri
Aspect Ratio - Help! cadrega_82
Knocking down Clooney jack-upland
Don't watch this if you're sleepy... pullgees
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