What Do The Critics Say?

"A murder mystery, a love story, and a glimpse of the beginning of conflict between the United States and Russia following the defeat of Germany in World War II." Frederic and Mary Ann SPIRITUALITY AND PRACTICE "The Good German suggests that they can still make 'em like they used to, but also reminds us that there's more to a good movie than good looks." Russ Breimeier CHRISTIANITY TODAY "It should have been wonderful: a delicious tribute to classic Hollywood, but it simply doesn't come off." William Arnold SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER "Noirs this good don't come along every day, or even every year." Chris Barsanti FILMCRITIC.COM "...a visual treat for classic movie buffs. Every lovingly misprinted optical dissolve and abrupt cut to stock footage left me squealing with delight. But is the movie itself any good? Sadly, no." Sean Burns PHILADELPHIA WEEKLY

"The result is a harshly lighted, high-contrast monochrome that illuminates the war-torn rubble with grace and poetry while allowing motives to stay hidden in the shadows." Duane Dudek MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL "Who says they don't make 'em like they used to?" Pete Hammond MAXIM "Last year's 'Good Night, and Good Luck' was a great film. 'The Good German' is beautifully filmed, yet not so great." Jeanne Kaplan KAPLAN vs KAPLAN "I still admire the risks that Soderbergh and his collaborators have taken, but by their nature risks don't always pay off." Dan Lybarger eFILMCRITIC "This cast almost makes The Good German watchable. It's just that their screenwriter and director don't do them any favors." Roger Moore ORLANDO SENTINEL

The Inside Story V-E Day May 8th 1945 marked the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany and the end of the war in Europe. By June 1945 the Allies began the job of dividing Germany and Berlin into zones of military occupation: American, Russian, British and French. "Everyone in this story, whether representing themselves and their own lives or representing institutions or governments, is not speaking directly about what they want and is hoping they can achieve their goals without ever having to tell the whole truth," says director Steven Soderbergh. "It’s about hypocrisy and denial. It’s human nature and the inevitable outgrowth of any post-war environment. That’s something that has always been with us and always will be. Set in a super-heated situation, these issues can mean life or death." War correspondent Jake Geismer has returned to Berlin to cover the Potsdam Peace Conference, where Allied leaders will meet to finalize details of disarming Germany and restructuring its government and economy. He is shocked to see the utter destruction of this once-beautiful city. But more shocks are instore for him. Jake has changed since he was last in Berlin. Academy Award ® winner George Clooney, who plays Jake, says his character is "a bitter guy. Where he once had ambition and passion, he’s been disillusioned by the war and his experiences and has become a cynic. The one thing he still remembers as a shining moment in his life was his relationship with Lena, but when he runs into her again, things are very different for both of them." For a start, Lena survives by peddling her body. "The fact that she’s there and he suddenly sweeps in, the fact that she’s even still alive and the suddenness of their reunion, is a very romantic concept, but in Steven’s hands, it gets a rawer treatment. It’s a love story but set against a very harsh and gritty backdrop. Seeing Jake reminds Lena of who she used to be, how she used to feel and the fact that she used to have a sense of morality, and that’s unbearable to her now, says Academy Award ® winner Cate Blanchett. "These are two people who clearly care about each other, and it’s played in an understated way that makes us wonder exactly what that relationship once was and what it might have been," suggests producer Gregory Jacobs. "But it’s a complicated world and a complicated time, and I think real life intercedes." Blanchett has a view on why that is so. "Everyone in this film has a hidden agenda, often deeply hidden from themselves. Living under The Third Reich cured people of forming hasty confidences. You didn’t ask intimate questions and you didn’t tell anyone anything; you always assumed the person you were talking to could betray you. Lena knows Jake is like a bloodhound when he’s on a scent. Whatever she is doing now, with or without Tully, Jake’s presence can only complicate things." But then Tully (played by Toby Maguire), Lena's current boyfriend turns up dead. Shot and found on the Russian military zone, his pockets stuffed with cash. "That in itself is not surprising, as Tully’s lifestyle makes him an accident waiting to happen," notes Maguire, "but what Jake cannot fathom is why the American and Russian authorities are so eager to sweep it under the carpet." "What drives the story is that Jake knows Lena is lying to him and he cannot rest until he finds out why," says screenwriter Paul Attanasio. "For all his cynicism, Jake is also a romantic," says the screenwriter. "Like Gatsby, like Rick in ‘Casablanca,’ he never sees the world as it is; he sees what he wants it to be. He wants to believe that Lena is the same woman he knew before the war." As he will discover, Lena hides a secret. One of the richest spoils of WW2 was the German physicists, chemists and engineers who were considerably further advanced than anyone expected. In fact, years ahead in many areas, including rocket science and biological warfare. "Amidst the victory celebrations and the so-called Peace Conference, a desperate struggle was being waged over who would get the German scientists and their research for the next war. The Russians were literally kidnapping them off the streets and the Americans weren’t far behind. It was a major operation going on, a secret mandate within the U.S. government to transport these scientists to America," producer Gregory Jacobs ("Full Frontal") points out. But before they could, the American lawyers on the War Crimes Commission were looking for those who may have been involved in atrocities. "It was a bitter choice," Soderbergh acknowledges. "Either the Russians get these guys and they win the arms race, or we whitewash their backgrounds and bring them to the U.S. and we win the arms race. There was no high ground to take. There just wasn’t." "It was a deal with the devil," says Attanasio. "And when America makes those kinds of decisions, they come at a high price because our ideals are part of our power and how we are perceived by the world. Those scientists held the knowledge of how to make rockets, and rockets and nuclear weapons were the definition of military power. We needed this to keep us safe and it did, through the Cold War. Yet these were men who were deeply involved with war crimes by any definition and the definition the government had at that time was quite loose: simply, who was an ‘ardent’ Nazi and who wasn’t." The story of "The Good German" has it's roots in the book of the same name by author Joseph Kanon. "It had great characters and a fascinating premise, very dramatic and cinematic, but we needed to amplify elements of the story and the issues it was laying out," says Soderbergh. "Of all the adaptations I’ve been involved with, this was the most difficult because there are so many moving parts. Murder mysteries are a difficult genre because you’re always concerned about revealing too much information or not enough." "What we’re trying to capture is the question of how well can you ever really know another person? It’s a classic film noir theme and it fits the political context. After the war, with 30 million dead, Europe in ruins, and the knowledge that your neighbor might be a murderer, there was plenty of guilt to go around," comments Attanasio. "I like the idea that this is a murder mystery wrapped up in a much larger historical event," says Clooney. The Americans didn’t want a headline in the middle of the Peace Conference that would start World War III. It was a very tenuous moment. Everyone was shaking hands over their victory and then, within seconds, putting up demarcation zones and fighting over the spoils of the war. Immediately the Cold War began." The key to this story is Lena. "Lena is extremely complicated and there wasn’t enough time within the story to explore all the factors that have influenced her life," says Soderbergh. "But Cate is able to convey that in the depth of her expression." Clooney adds to that saying, "The beauty of Lena is that she never gives up who she is. She’s like the Faye Dunaway character in "Chinatown". Every single time she tells Jake something, he believes her, and almost every single time she’s lying." The same rule can be applied to Tully. "He comes off very patriotic and apple pie and, meanwhile, he has this whole underground life. Everyone is a mark to him," says Maguire. It's an environment where corruption can touch anyone, including army special prosecutor Bernie Teitel. "Bernie is up against total corruption," Leland Orser (who plays Teitel) admits. "The question is, how much is he willing to compromise his own morality to get his job done? You have to draw the line somewhere: some will be forgiven and some punished." "The Good German" will hold your interest as long as you don't lose interest. Synopsis

Berlin, 1945. U.S. war correspondent Jake Geismer has just arrived to cover the upcoming Potsdam Peace Conference, where Allied leaders will meet to determine the fate of a vanquished Germany and a newly liberated Europe. In the process, they will carve up what’s left of any value for themselves. It’s not Jake’s first visit to Berlin. He once managed a news bureau here and fell in love here. That seems a lifetime ago as he takes the jeep ride from the airport to his hotel in the American zone. Jake’s driver, Cpl Tully appears an eager, guileless, good-natured kid from the Midwest. In reality, he’s corrupt to the core, bartering and playing all sides for the highest price. That’s not unusual. Everyone here has a secret now and is working an angle to get what they need: money, power, survival, or just a way out. Jake's interest is in Tully’s girlfriend Lena Brandt. Now a prostitute, Lena's Jake’s former love. Sadly shes not the person he once knew. She has been irrevocably changed by war, the hardship of life in this ruined city and the burden of her own secrets. Jake will discover, Lena has something oth the Russians and Americans want.

The Verdict "Sadly, for all his effort, I get the distinct impression that "The Good German" will not be remembered as one of Steven Soderbergh's shining moments. While it looks good in black and white and the cast do a fine job, this film, which is somewhat reminiscent of "Sin City" in its look, will lose many in the audience because the storyline is so convoluted. It's too easy to lose the plot. "The Good German" is an imaginative piece of cinema which will, in the main, appeal to the 'mature' cinemagoer. Doesn't quite hit the mark but is never the less, worth having a look at. 3 STARS." Cast & Crew Bytes "THE GOOD GERMAN" stars .......
Golden Globe Award winner and Writers Guild of America Paul Selvin Award recipient George Clooney ["The Perfect Storm", "Welcome to Collinwood", "Intolerable Cruelty", "Good Night, And Good Luck" and "Syriana"]; Tobey Maguire ["The Ice Storm", "The Cider House Rules", "Seabiscuit" and "Spider-Man I & 2"]; BAFTA and SAG Award winner Cate Blanchett ["Bandits", "Little Fish", "The Missing", "Babel" and "Notes on a Scandal"]; Christian Oliver ["The Baby-Sitters Club", "Eat Your Heart Out", "Kept" and "A Light in the Forest"]; Cannes Film Festival Best Supporting Actor and AFI Best Actor Awards winner Jack Thompson ["Sunday Too Far Away", "The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith", "The Assassination of Richard Nixon" and "Oyster Farmer"] and Ravil Isaynov ["GoldenEye", "Along Came A Spider", "K-19: The Widowmaker" and "Mr & Mrs Smith"] as General Sikorsky.
"THE GOOD GERMAN" was .......
directed by Steven Soderbergh ["The Limey", "Erin Brockovich", "Traffic" and "Ocean's Twelve"]; screenplay by BAFTA winner Paul Attanasio ["Disclosure", "Donnie Brasco" and "The Sum of All Fears"]; set decoration by Kristen Toscano Messina ["Erin Brockovich", "Traffic", "Ocean's Eleven" and "Ocean's Twelve"]; costume design by Louise Frogley ["The Limey", "Traffic", "The Rules of Attraction" and "Man on Fire"]; production design by Philip Messina ["Erin Brockovich", "8 Mile", "Ocean's Eleven" and "Ocean's Twelve"]; edited by Steven Soderbergh ["Sex, Lies, and Videotape", "King of the Hill" and "Solaris"]; cinematography by Steven Soderbergh ["Traffic", "Full Frontal" and "Solaris"], original music by BAFTA and Grammy BAFTA Award winner Thomas Newman ["American Beauty", "Erin Brockovich", "Cinderella Man", "Jarhead" and "Little Children"]. Who's Who?

George Clooney Tobey Maguire Cate Blanchett Christian Oliver Leland Orser Jack Thompson John Roeder Dominic Comperatore Dave Power Tony Curran Ravil Isaynov Beau Bridges

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Capt Jacob 'Jake' Geismer Patrick Tully Lena Brandt Emil Brandt Bernie Teitel Congressman Breimer General Levi Lieutenant Schaeffer Danny General Sikorsky Colonel Muller

Run Time 108 minutes Rated MA15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2007 - Warner Bros - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2007 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved