The Good German, 2006.
Directed by Steven Soderbergh.
Starring George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, and Tobey Maguire.
SYNOPSIS:
Steven Soderbergh’s flawed 2006 experiment, The Good German, makes its 4K Ultra HD debut. You get a Blu-ray too, but no code for a digital copy, and no bonus features except fore the trailer.
I always appreciate it when a director takes a risk. Going out on a limb may not pay off for them, but I admire the willingness to try something different. Case in point: The Good German, which attempts to bring a 1940s era film sensibility to a modern movie. In particular, the parallels with the classic film Casablanca are clear.
Set during the dying days of World War II, the story stars George Clooney as Jacob “Jake” Geismer, a journalist sent to Berlin to write about the Allied negotiations in Potsdam. However, he’s pulled into the mystery surrounding the murder of his drive, Corporal Patrick Tully (Tobey Maguire), which brings him into contact with his ex-girlfriend, Lena Brandt (Cate Blanchett), because of her marriage to Emil Brandt, a shadowy figure sought by multiple interested parties.
The plot features plenty of interesting twists and turns, and the finale pretty much ties it all together, although the homage to the famous ending of Casablanca is a bit on-the-nose. The attempt to recreate 1940s era filmmaking also feels forced at times, especially when the film uses language and situations that would have been prohibited by the Hays Code back then.
Also, while I always enjoy watching George Clooney and Cate Blanchett on the screen, I’ve never been much of a Tobey Maguire fan, and he sticks out like a sore thumb in this film. I’ll admit I was thankful when his character met an early demise. The rest of the cast, which includes Beau Bridges in a small role, hold their own, and the use of actual archival news reel footage blends pretty well with the black-and-white footage that Soderbergh shot.
The Good German met a middling fate at the box office during its 2006 release, so it’s not a surprise that it was relegated to a Warner Archive offering for its 4K Ultra HD debut. And to be clear, plenty of Warner Archive releases are good movies; I just find this one a bit lacking in several ways.
The movie looks good in 4K, which isn’t a surprise given its vintage. I doubt much restoration work, if any, had to be done for this one. Warner Bros. included the film on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray platters that are both devoid of any bonus features, sans the theatrical trailer.
It would have been nice to at least get a commentary track for this one, but maybe Soderbergh would rather not spend more time and energy on a movie that underperformed at the box office and never found much footing in the home video market. It would have been interesting to hear from a film critic, however — maybe two tracks, one from a critic who liked the film and one from another who didn’t.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Brad Cook
