The Good German

In post-war Berlin, a military journalist (George Clooney) stumbles across an old flame (Cate Blanchett) and a murder during the Potsdam Conference.

The Good German is an interesting failure. Director Steven Soderbergh shot the entire film using 1945 technology, eschewing modern lenses, lighting, and microphones, in an attempt to recreate the look and feel of films such as Michael Curtiz’s Casablanca. Certainly a respectable goal, but unfortunately, Soderbergh’s experiment doesn’t work.

Part of this is due to the nature of the script. Unlike the melodrama’s of the 1940s, Paul Attanasio’s screenplay is a very gritty, adult, mystery, featuring nudity, violence and profanity, all of which run in stark contrast to the production’s stagy feel.

The second problem is the performances. Soderbergh’s decision, in keeping with 1940’s technology, to use boom mikes instead of wireless body microphones, forces the performers into a stage style of acting, with loud, presentational delivery. While this works fine for lead George Clooney, supporting players Tobey Maguire and Cate Blanchett suffer. Maguire’s never tried so hard, but he just doesn’t work in a role that may have been better suited to someone like James McAvoy. Blanchett does her best to balance the script’s need for a quiet, conflicted, woman with Soderbergh’s constraints, trying hard to channel Ingrid Bergman, and while her performance, like much of the film, is interesting, it ultimately feels off.

This isn’t to say The Good German is unwatchable. It’s a very solid adult mystery that doesn’t spoon-feed the plot, and that in itself is a refreshing change. It’s just that Soderbergh’s experiment doesn’t work, though you can’t fault him for trying.