Coming off an academy award winning performance, George Clooney teams with Cate Blanchett and Tobey Maguire to create a mildly entertaining film, The Good German.

Cast:
George Clooney - Capt. Jacob 'Jake' Geismer
Tobey Maguire - Patrick Tully
Cate Blanchett – Lena Brandt
Beau Bridges - Colonel Muller
Leland Orser - Bernie Teitel
Ravil Isyanov - General Sikorsky
Christian Oliver - Emil Brandt
Dominic Comperatore - Levi
Dave Power - Lieutenant Schaeffer
Robin Weigert - Hannelore
David Willis - Franz Bettmann

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Plot:
The setting is 1945, Germany, just after the surrender of the Third Reich, and the allied powers are convening in Potsdam to discuss how Europe is to be managed in the post-war period. George Clooney plays Captain Jake Geismer, a reporter for the New Republic, who is there to write an article on the events taking place. His driver Tully, played by Maguire, is an enterprising young military man, always looking to find some angle or shady deal to pull off, in order to get rich. His girlfriend, Lena, is a German prostitute who is looking to get out of Germany, and as coincidence would have it, Geismer’s former secretary and mistress.

The plot thickens when Tully goes to Lena’s apartment and is assaulted by an intruder looking for one Emil Brandt. Tully has no idea who that is, but after the encounter is set on finding out. When Tully questions Lena about it, he learns that Brandt was her husband who was allegedly killed in the war. Tully figures that all is not what it appears to be, and develops a plan to scam the Russians into paying a hefty sum of money in exchange for Emil Brandt. The plan does not go off as expected and Tully turns up dead.

Geismer is there when Tully’s body turns up, and he is disturbed by the events. He sets out to investigate what happened. He finds out about Tully’s schemes, and about Emil Brandt. Apparently, this Brandt is wanted by many parties for various reasons, not the least of which is his involvement in the German rocket program. As Geismer plays the detective on the trail of finding Emil Brandt, he digs up all sorts of sordid details on Emil and Lena. His love for Lena is reignited, and he ends up pledging to help get her out of Germany in order to start a new life for herself.

Thoughts:
This was a decently entertaining film. The fact that is was filmed in black and white, with certain sections of the movie looking very grainy, gave it that old time feel. It almost looked as if some of the filming was taken out of old newsreels, which certainly, in the spots where one would see people like Truman, Stalin, and Churchill, it most likely was.
As I watched this film, I could not help but feel this nagging feeling of familiarity. When the final scene happened, it dawned on me. This film borrowed heavily from that classic film, Casablanca. From the parallel of the Geismer-Brandt love triangle, to the final scene with her getting on a plane (which I would bet 10 bucks was identical to the closing airport scene of Casablanca), there were many tidbits sprinkled throughout the film.

I also thought it was pretty funny to see George Clooney get his butt kicked, repeatedly. I mean, really…whenever there was a fight scene, it was Clooney who was the one getting pounded. What a wimp! In one particularly funny scene, he even gets his butt kicked by Toby Maguire! Given that Maguire doesn’t exactly strike most people as particularly tough, I thought it was amusing. Of course, most people would get their butt kicked by Spiderman, so I guess Clooney shouldn’t feel that bad.

Blanchett did a good job in her role. I continue to be impressed with her versatility as an actor. The story line did not really telegraph any of the twists and turns, so that was good, even if there really weren’t any major plot twists that really wow’ed this viewer. The pace of the story was adequate, and the rest of the cast played solid roles.

Overall:
While this isn’t a bad film to see, its not really a must-see either. I place it firmly in the mediocre camp. You can certainly do worse when picking out a movie to watch. I would recommend this film if maybe your first choice is unavailable. I give this three and one-third stars.

Related Reviews:

Cate Blanchett in Aviator



Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older