I consider George Clooney, Cate Blanchett and Tobey Maguire three of the greatest stars of our time. Which makes it somewhat strange to see them in "The Good German". I thought that this was a fairly good movie, but I couldn't really tell whether the movie was simply paying homage to "Casablanca" or trying to imitate it. I felt that the movie's strength was showing what went on behind the scenes in post-war Berlin. Truman, Churchill and Stalin arrived claiming that they had no expansionist plans, when they in reality aimed to totally carve up Europe for the next forty years. And all the while, a future war was clearly brewing between the US and USSR. Not to mention the intrigue that the movie portrays.
So, I think that the movie is mostly good for that. It can't emulate the spirit of old-time film-making, but offers a chilling account of geopolitics, just like Clooney's previous movie "Syriana".
PS: Last year saw the release of "The Good German" and "The Good Shepherd", so David Letterman said that 2007 will see the release of "The Good German Shepherd".
So, I think that the movie is mostly good for that. It can't emulate the spirit of old-time film-making, but offers a chilling account of geopolitics, just like Clooney's previous movie "Syriana".
PS: Last year saw the release of "The Good German" and "The Good Shepherd", so David Letterman said that 2007 will see the release of "The Good German Shepherd".