Review of The Good German (2006) by Sally Z — 30 Apr 2011

It's true this isn't that great a film, but there seems to be a lot of hate directed its way...

Steven Soderbergh evidently set himself an exercise to assemble the best cast he could to make a 'classic film noir' in the same vein as Casablanca or The Third Man. And while much of the score, camera angles and cinematography feel authentic, it's distinctly less than the sum of its parts.

Perhaps the main weakness is the script, primarily with Tobey Maguire horribly unconvincing (miscast) in a very strange role, and very self-conscious profanities throughout. The subject matter gets deliberately gritty in a way that those old school films never needed to.

Of interest to Soderbergh completists, and to those wanting to see how an undoubtedly talented director and cast doesn't mean you'll make a good film. Indeed, it makes you realise just how good The Third Man really is.