This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The film starts out with dramatic music on the ruins of post-war Berlin. Jake Geismar (George Clooney) has just arrived in Berlin. His story quickly gets entwined with Lena (Cate Blanchett), a former lover, and Tully (Tobey Maguire), his driver. Tully works in the black market and has a relationship with Lena, who is now a prostitute. Through Tully, Geismar finds Lena again. Tully is busy trying to get Lena out of Berlin, who herself is busy trying to protect her husband Emil. The occupying powers are seeking Emil, as he was an officer in the military with important information. In part due to this, Tully's attempt to get Lena out of Berlin fails and Tully ends up murdered. Geismar discovers this and spends his time trying to ensure Lena's safety and that she, too, can get out of Berlin. He and Lena turn over Emil but are betrayed and Emil is murdered. Geismar is still able to get Lena out of Berlin but learns that she, like many others, was involved in war crimes.I really like the film noir. I like the camera work that plays with light and shadows. I also enjoyed the detective/crime story so common in the genre. This is pretty simple wording, but it's really easy to get into the story and excitement in this type of film-making. It was pointed out that the language was somewhat vulgar, and that there was too much sex for a REAL film noir. I find these sorts of things perhaps a little cheap due to their lack of authenticity, but Clooney, Maguire, and Blanchett really pulled the thing together; it was nice to see modern actors in an older style of film. I also throughly enjoyed the setting in post-war Berlin. This adds a good deal of excitement. I recommend this film, though I'm sure fans of quality cinema will appreciate more than most.

The first thing you have to say about The Good German is, this movie completely nails the look and style. It's not just a movie with a 1940s- era look, it's a movie with a specific *mid-to-late* 1940s look, that period between the lush, deep blacks of early '40s movies like Casablanca and the more washed out black and white of the early fifties. It doesn't just have a '40s look, but the look of an exceptionally well- filmed '40s movie. The score is even more dead-on; I would challenge anyone to differentiate this musically from the scores of the period.Some people here are complaining that it's not true to form because there's some swearing and sex, but I see no need to make a movie that is indistinguishable in every detail from an old movie. If not for the Hayes code, movies back then would have had sex and swearing, so the movie is quite true to the film making artists of the period.Performances are quite good. Cate Blanchett successfully goes for the world weary quality of Dietrich and Garbo, while Tobey Maguire's Tully is a wonderfully realized character who would best be described as a "piece of work." George Clooney is good, and his movie-star looks make him the perfect choice for the part, but while Blanchett and Maguire seem to really want to catch the cadences of the period, Clooney plays Clooney the way he always plays Clooney, and it doesn't quite fit. But that's a quibble.The twisty story is intriguing, and plays with the moral gray areas that were also popping up in late '40s movies, particularly in film noir, but it's a little too convoluted, with a few too many characters and some continuity jumps. But overall I knew what was going on and who the main players were.If you've watched as many old movies as I have, you really need to see this one, just because it's the most perfect retro recreation since Far From Heaven.

Never have I seen a worse blight on film than this movie. This is a blatant ripoff of Casablanca, or rather a movie trying to be Casablanca, ripping off the poster exactly, even the lettering and style.I rented this film, hoping to see a period thriller piece. I was more interested in hearing the plot. This movie has the worst plot, and spoilers, the plot doesn't go anywhere, it just shoves in this piece of rubbish on building weapons and killing scientists. Soderbergh tries to do the old filmmaking tricks from the 40s, but they just fall flat and look stupid. When he does the old zoom in on a letter, with the black boxes around it like in the 40s films, you can't even read what the letter says, it's that terrible.It's a waste of time, don't bother with it, even with the cast, Toby Maguire is terrible, Clooney isn't anything special and everyone else is just forgettable.I'm surprised more people don't like this film for what it represents.

This picture could have been so much better than it turned out. I was hoping for a good spy picture, and it started out like a possible "Third Man" type story. It was a black-and-white movie set in WWII and with a good cast. I am sorry to report it did not live up to expectations.The main problem was that, like Kate Blanchett's character, it lacked a heart and a reason to root for someone, anyone. In fact, it was a collection of nasty, unattractive people played by charismatic actors in thankless roles. I thought it captured the post-war cynicism and skepticism between the two superpowers, and the incipient rivalry that was to become the cold war, but it needed more character involvement - maybe they shouldn't have killed off Beekman, or gotten more mileage out of Brandt, or used Beau Bridges in more scenes. He and Clooney played well off each other, as they did in "The Descendants". In any case, it wasn't compelling or absorbing enough to merit a higher rating. It was like a 'B' picture that ran too long.