Film Fetish: "The Good German"

The Good German (2006)
- directed by Steven Soderbergh

Set in post-war Berlin as an homage to 1940's film noir, George Clooney co-stars alongside Cate Blanchett as an American journalist who crosses paths with an old flame (Blanchett) who is on the run from the American and Russian government who believe she holds the key to finding a potential war criminal and valuable scientific mind.

This should be short and sweet since the movie plays as a grand mystery, and delving too much into a proper review might spoil things (and by "might", I mean "surely will"). I should start out by saying that I only had interest in the film on a purely aesthetic level, I found the idea of a noir homage incredibly enticing. Although, I'm in no way a noir aficionado. In fact, I've only seen one proper noir film, "Kiss Me Deadly" (1955), which I found quite enjoyable. Having only a cursory knowledge of this school of film, what elements I am aware of are what drew me to this film. And the film delivered on all accounts. The score was beautiful. The cinematography, drop-dead gorgeous. My favorite element of noir, the femme fatale, was filled out beautifully by Cate Blanchett; she was born to play this archetype. And of course, the ending was bittersweet. I went in expecting the film would only deliver on a technical-level, but was surprised by an engaging, thoughtful crime/mystery-drama storyline. A beautifully solid film.

7.5/10 A gorgeous homage to old-school noir without being heavy-handed or masturbatory. An elegant balance of classic and modern film making. Also a great film for fans of crime, mystery and suspense.



* Spoilers *

The final scene between Jake (Clooney) and Lena (Blanchett) is one of the greatest scenes in cinema. Verging on the cliche, without going over the edge. Pefect on every level. I know I haven't spoiled much... but I really don't want to. Go watch this movie! :P

DS333, romanced.