The Good German (2006)

My Review

“The Good German” is a post-World War II story where a war correspondent helps his ex-girl friend search throughout Berlin for her husband, who is wanted by both American and Russian authorities. Director Steven Soderbergh (“Erin Brockovich” 2000) did capture the essence of a 1940’s black-and-white film noir crime drama and provided an appropriate amount of action sequences to hold the viewers’ attention. On the negative side, the plot was a bit thin with weak character development. The screenplay by Paul Attanasio, adapted from the 2001 novel of the same name by Joseph Kanon, does qualify as material for an entertaining film.

The cast includes George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, Toby McGuire, Beau Bridges, Robin Weingert, Tony Curran, Leland Orser, Ravil Isyanov, Christian Oliver, and Jack Thompson as Congressman Breimer. The watchable escapist programing “The Good German” was a flop at the box office for Virtual Studios, Section Eight Productions, and Warner Bros. Pictures. It was nominated for one Academy Award for Best Original Score (Thomas Newman). This project was filmed on sound stages in Southern California and on Universal Studio’s backlot.