The Good German is set at the end of the second world war, at the time of the Potsdam Conference. Berlin is divided into sections, the black market thrives and people are starting to think about what to do next. All of this is cleverly introduced by starting the film with old news reel footage, setting the scene, but also setting up the photographic style that the rest of the movie draws on. The whole film is shot in black and white to look reminiscent of the genuine footage of the era and that combined with lighting and framing choices give it a great film noir feel.
Blanchett and Clooney are excellent in their roles and Tobey Maguire gets a rare chance to play a vile, thug of a man. His effort is not lacking, but compared to the performances of the others he does feel like the weaker actor this time.
The story was interesting, with every character having a past and different motivations and plans. The general feeling is that it's time to get out of Berlin before these pasts catch up with each of them, but the film reveals more about each person as the plot thickens. This makes for some good suspense and powerful revelations, let down only by them maybe trying to go a little bit far and include one or two strands too many.
When the credits rolled, I was left thinking that it was a film I wouldn't soon forget. It had an impact on me. It's just a shame that marinating on it led me to realise there were one or two events that didn't seem quite right. Why did that one thing have to happen a certain location? What would that character have been there for if not just to provide an easy clue later on? It didn't all add up satisfactorily, in hindsight.
A good film overall, but with an impact diminished by the odd loose end.
The Good German
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