| Photos (see all 78 | slideshow) | Videos (see all 20) |
| Jack Thompson | ... | Congressman Breimer | |
| John Roeder | ... | General | |
| George Clooney | ... | Jake Geismer | |
| Tobey Maguire | ... | Tully | |
| Cate Blanchett | ... | Lena Brandt | |
| Dominic Comperatore | ... | Levi | |
| Dave Power | ... | Lieutenant Schaeffer | |
| Tony Curran | ... | Danny | |
| Ravil Isyanov | ... | General Sikorsky | |
| J. Paul Boehmer | ... | British Press Aide | |
| Igor Korosec | ... | Russian Soldier | |
| Boris Kievsky | ... | Russian Soldier | |
| Vladimir Kulikov | ... | Russian Soldier | |
| Yevgeniy Narovlyanskiy | ... | Russian Soldier | |
| Aleksandr Sountsov | ... | Russian Soldier | |
| Beau Bridges | ... | Colonel Muller | |
| Dean Misch | ... | German Boy | |
| Justin Misch | ... | German Boy | |
| Don Pugsley | ... | Gunther | |
| Leland Orser | ... | Bernie | |
| Robin Weigert | ... | Hannelore | |
| Tom Cummins | ... | British Interviewer | |
| Brandon Keener | ... | Clerk | |
| Gianfranco L'Amore | ... | The Butcher (as Gianfranco L'Amore Tordi) | |
| David Willis | ... | Franz Bettmann | |
| Christian Oliver | ... | Emil Brandt | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Michael Bravo | ... | Full Colonel (uncredited) | |
| Alexandra Carter | ... | German Woman (uncredited) | |
| Paul Edney | ... | WWII U.S. Army Officer (uncredited) | |
| Alec Gray | ... | German Boy (uncredited) | |
| Zvonimir Hace | ... | Russian solder (uncredited) | |
| Garth R. Hassell | ... | French Soldier (uncredited) | |
| Patrick Tatten | ... | Political Attache (uncredited) | |
| Stephen Wheeler | ... | Russian Military Police Officer (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Steven Soderbergh | |||
Writing credits(WGA) | ||
| Paul Attanasio | (screenplay) | |
| Joseph Kanon | (novel) | |
Produced by | |||
| Frederic W. Brost | .... | executive producer | |
| Ben Cosgrove | .... | producer | |
| Gregory Jacobs | .... | producer | |
| Ben Waisbren | .... | executive producer (as Benjamin Waisbren) | |
Original Music by | |||
| Thomas Newman | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| Steven Soderbergh | (director of photography) (as Peter Andrews) | ||
Film Editing by | |||
| Steven Soderbergh | (as Mary Ann Bernard) | ||
Casting by | |||
| Debra Zane | |||
Production Design by | |||
| Philip Messina | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| Doug J. Meerdink | (as Doug Meerdink) | ||
Set Decoration by | |||
| Kristen Toscano Messina | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Louise Frogley | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| Fríða Aradóttir | .... | key hair stylist (as Frida S. Aradottir) | |
| Rita Bellissimo | .... | additional hair stylist | |
| Marina Hart | .... | key hair stylist | |
| Zoe Hay | .... | additional makeup artist | |
| Julie Hewett | .... | makeup department head | |
| Julie Kristy | .... | additional makeup artist | |
| Emanuel Millar | .... | hair stylist: Ms. Blanchett | |
| Margarita Pidgeon | .... | third hair stylist | |
| Arturo Rojas | .... | additional hair stylist | |
| Waldo Sanchez | .... | hair department head | |
| Heba Thorisdottir | .... | makeup artist: Ms. Blanchett | |
| Michelle Vittone | .... | key makeup artist (as Michelle Vittone-McNeil) | |
Production Management | |||
| Frederic W. Brost | .... | unit production manager | |
| Monica De Armond | .... | post-production supervisor (as Monica De Armond Borde) | |
| Robin Le Chanu | .... | production supervisor | |
| Mark Scoon | .... | executive in charge of production | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Trey Batchelor | .... | second assistant director | |
| Gregory Jacobs | .... | first assistant director | |
| Jessica Lowrey | .... | dga trainee | |
| Jody Spilkoman | .... | second second assistant director | |
| Basti Van Der Woude | .... | additional second assistant director | |
| David Pinkus | .... | second assistant director: additional photography UK (uncredited) | |
Art Department | |||
| Tom Altobello | .... | prop assistant (as Tommy Altobello) | |
| Richard Andrade | .... | set dresser | |
| C. Scott Baker | .... | set designer | |
| Adam L. Barker | .... | head plaster foreman | |
| Scott Bobbitt | .... | leadman | |
| Travis Bobbitt | .... | prop assistant | |
| Mike Bomar | .... | paint foreman | |
| Steve Borgese | .... | greens coordinator | |
| Ryan P. Dreyer | .... | set dresser | |
| Gerard Forrest | .... | location foreman | |
| Hank Giardina | .... | paint supervisor | |
| William Gideon | .... | general foreman | |
| Wylie Griffin | .... | art department coordinator (as Wylie Young Griffin) | |
| Helen Kozora | .... | buyer (as Helen Kozora-Tell) | |
| Bud Kucia | .... | head welding foreman | |
| William J. Law III | .... | set designer (as W.M. Law III) | |
| Scott Lodwig | .... | labor foreman | |
| Gregory Lynch Jr. | .... | carpenter | |
| Merdyce McClaran | .... | set dresser | |
| Maureen McGuire | .... | prop assistant | |
| Robin L. Miller | .... | property master | |
| John Moore | .... | propmaker foreman | |
| John Moore | .... | purchaser | |
| Eric Nelson | .... | plaster foreman | |
| Erik Norville | .... | on-set dresser | |
| Jim Paniagua | .... | foreman | |
| Jim Paniagua | .... | toolman | |
| Eric Ramirez | .... | set dresser | |
| Dennis Richardson | .... | propmaker foreman | |
| Neil Rust | .... | paint foreman | |
| Richard Sarabia | .... | labor foreman | |
| Robert Sica | .... | set dresser | |
| Easton Michael Smith | .... | assistant art director (as Easton Smith) | |
| Chris Snyder | .... | construction coordinator | |
| Dale Snyder | .... | propmaker foreman | |
| Ryan Steffen | .... | set dresser | |
| James Stephenson | .... | propmaker foreman (as James L. Stephenson) | |
| Jim Stubblefield | .... | assistant property master (as D. James Stubblefield) | |
| David Tye | .... | lead sculptor | |
| Yvonne von Wallenberg | .... | consultant | |
| Suzan Wexler | .... | assistant art director | |
| Jack White | .... | food stylist | |
| Helen Wilson | .... | props | |
| Curtis Yackel | .... | propmaker foreman | |
| Chris Zimmerman | .... | stand-by painter | |
| Henning Brehm | .... | graphic artist (uncredited) | |
| Ryan Galiher | .... | set dresser (uncredited) | |
| Kent Jones | .... | painter (uncredited) | |
| Eric P. Paczkowski | .... | set dresser (uncredited) | |
| Heidi Roller | .... | art department assistant (uncredited) | |
| Lee Ross | .... | on-set scenic (uncredited) | |
| Fante Zamora | .... | set dresser (uncredited) | |
Sound Department | |||
| David Betancourt | .... | foley mixer | |
| Larry Blake | .... | sound re-recording mixer | |
| Larry Blake | .... | supervising sound editor | |
| Derek Casari | .... | foley engineer | |
| Dawn Fintor | .... | foley artist | |
| Randall L. Johnson | .... | boom operator (as Randy Johnson) | |
| Paul Ledford | .... | production sound mixer | |
| Ross Levy | .... | utility sound technician | |
| Kimaree Long | .... | dialogue editor | |
| Sterling Moore | .... | utility sound: additional photography | |
| Alicia Stevenson | .... | foley artist | |
| Billy Theriot | .... | assistant sound editor | |
Special Effects by | |||
| Chris Bailey | .... | special effects | |
| Michael Carroll | .... | head model maker | |
| Mike Carroll | .... | head model maker (as Michael Carroll) | |
| Blair Foord | .... | special effects technician | |
| Werner Hahnlein | .... | special effects general foreman | |
| Kevin Hannigan | .... | special effects coordinator | |
| Eric Mingebach | .... | special effects technician (as Erich Mingenbach) | |
| Michael Roundy | .... | special effects foreman (as Michael D. Roundy) | |
| Ken Tarallo | .... | special effects technician | |
| Vaughn Williams | .... | special effects technician | |
Visual Effects by | |||
| Ron Barr | .... | opticals | |
| Melissa Brockman | .... | visual effects producer | |
| Tom Daws | .... | digital artist: CIS Hollywood | |
| Bill Gilman | .... | digital artist: CIS Hollywood | |
| Lyndal Heathwood | .... | paint/roto artist | |
| Heather Elisa Hill | .... | visual effects coordinator: CIS Hollywood | |
| Dan Levitan | .... | compositing supervisor: CIS Hollywood | |
| Gregory Oehler | .... | digital artist: CIS Hollywood (as Greg Oehler) | |
| David Rey | .... | compositing supervisor: CIS Hollywood | |
| Chris Ryan | .... | digital artist: CIS Hollywood (as Christopher Ryan) | |
| Marc-Andre Samson | .... | matte painter | |
| Thomas J. Smith | .... | visual effects supervisor | |
| Robert Stromberg | .... | matte painting supervisor: CIS Hollywood | |
| Wilson Tang | .... | digital restoration | |
| Ed Twiford | .... | digital film colorist | |
Stunts | |||
| Brian Avery | .... | stunts | |
| Joni Avery | .... | stunts | |
| Matt Baker | .... | stunts | |
| Jeff Brockton | .... | stunts (as Jeffrey Brockton) | |
| Hal Burton | .... | stunts | |
| Chad Cleven | .... | stunts | |
| Eliza Coleman | .... | stunts | |
| David D. Darling | .... | stunts | |
| Jeremy Fitzgerald | .... | stunts | |
| Mickey Giacomazzi | .... | stunts | |
| Sean Graham | .... | stunts | |
| Tabby Hanson | .... | stunts (as Tabby Hanson Graham) | |
| Jim Hart | .... | stunts | |
| Gene Hartline | .... | stunts | |
| John Moio | .... | stunts | |
| Eric Norris | .... | stunts | |
| Carrick O'Quinn | .... | stunts | |
| Vladimir Orlov | .... | stunts | |
| Michael Owen | .... | stunts (as Michael P. Owen) | |
| Jeff Ramsey | .... | stunts | |
| John Robotham | .... | stunt coordinator | |
| Jason Rodriguez | .... | stunts | |
| Bill Willens | .... | stunts | |
| Jodi Lyn Wilson | .... | stunts (as Jodi Brockton) | |
| Jeff Brockton | .... | stunt double: George Clooney (uncredited) | |
| P. David Miller | .... | specialist driver (uncredited) | |
| David Saxa | .... | stunt double: US soldier (uncredited) | |
Casting Department | |||
| Rich King | .... | extras casting | |
| Jeremy Rich | .... | casting associate | |
| Tannis Vallely | .... | casting associate | |
| Kelly Hunt | .... | extras casting (uncredited) | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Shandra Beri | .... | set costumer | |
| Tom Cummins | .... | costumer | |
| Lynda Foote | .... | costume supervisor | |
| Monica Haynes-Nino | .... | costumer (as Monica S. Haynes) | |
| Mary Etta Lang | .... | costume textile artist | |
| Dennis McCarthy | .... | key costumer | |
| Jason M. Moore | .... | set costumer | |
| Garet Reilly | .... | key costumer (as Garet Reilly Batchelor) | |
| Kenn Smiley | .... | key costumer | |
| Reese Spensley | .... | costumer (as James L. Spensley) | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Matt Absher | .... | second assistant editor | |
| Ron Barr | .... | digital conform | |
| Scott M. Davids | .... | assistant editor: pre-production | |
| David Kirchner | .... | first assistant editor | |
| Gregg Schaublin | .... | digital intermediate producer | |
| Ed Twiford | .... | dailies colorist | |
| Ryan Piers Williams | .... | post-production assistant | |
Music Department | |||
| Bill Bernstein | .... | music editor | |
| Greg Hayes | .... | assistant engineer | |
| Tim Lauber | .... | assistant engineer | |
| Larry Mah | .... | digital audio | |
| Thomas Pasatieri | .... | orchestration | |
| Tim Rodier | .... | music preparation | |
| Armin Steiner | .... | music scoring mixer | |
| Thomas Vicari | .... | music scoring mixer (as Tommy Vicari) | |
| Michael Ziner | .... | assistant music editor (as Michael Zainer) | |
Transportation Department | |||
| Pat Carmen | .... | driver | |
| Doreen L. Carpenter | .... | transportation dispatcher | |
| Jon Carpenter | .... | transportation coordinator | |
| Danny Coughlin | .... | driver | |
| Bernard Glavin | .... | transportation captain | |
| David Glavin | .... | driver | |
| Diane Glavin | .... | driver | |
| Billy Grace | .... | driver (as William Grace) | |
| Shane Greedy | .... | transportation supervisor | |
| Steve Lewis | .... | unit driver | |
| Chance Robertson | .... | driver | |
| Sarah Lynn Schmitt | .... | transportation | |
| Lin C. Smith | .... | driver | |
| Paul Tumber | .... | driver (as Paul E. Tumber) | |
| Gordon Winkle | .... | driver | |
| Gina August | .... | driver (uncredited) | |
| Vicki Sousa | .... | driver (uncredited) | |
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In true noir-ish fashion, much of the intrigue with The Good German is about to whom, and why, the title applies. For a film that has so much devotion to being a 40s recreation or homage, and in spite of another mesmerising performance from the very talented Cate Blanchett, it is also a mystery as to why it is not more of a runaway success.
Employing the grainy black-and-white look of Good Night and Good Luck, only more so, The Good German is a formal exercise in original 40s technique. It uses as its subject 1945 Berlin and the nightmare scenarios of post-war safety. Blanchett plays Lena Brandt, a Jewish German, who attributes her amazing survival to being the ex-wife of an SS man. (She claims he is dead, by the way). Her boyfriend is the violent and abusive Patrick Tully, engagingly played by Tobey Maguire. But haunting her life is also good-guy George Clooney, in the shape of US Captain Jake Geismer. They go back a long way. In more than one sense, to put it delicately. He is disturbed to see her turning tricks as much as he is to see her hanging out with a low-life like Tully.
Lena wants to get out of Berlin, but that is easier said than done. Our film is awash with intrigues as everyone individually tries to help her, but everyone also schemes against each other. Who is a war criminal and who is just an ordinary German? Understandably, no-one wants to be caught with their pants down, and everybody is in Lena's.
Lena herself plays her cards very close to her chest. She only reveals her hand towards the end. As she takes over centre-stage, her story provides some tension and emotional ballast to a plot that is otherwise a bit lifeless. Disappointingly, the usually capable Clooney is the weak link in the acting. His usually charismatically chirpy, cheeky style seems anachronistic and makes him look both typecast and mis-cast. The part could have been written for Humphrey Bogart. There and many thematic and visual references to Casablanca. But Clooney's lack of gravitas highlights the film's stylistic weakness. The Good German is ponderous without conveying a seriousness of the subject matter and so ends up just seeming self-important.
Beautiful noir-ish chiaroscuro lighting is a delicious hearkening back to more substantial classics of old. But, with the exception of Lena, the characters lack the moral ambiguity that was so characteristic of such films. Jake mentions, "the good old days - when you could tell who was the bad guy by who was shooting at you." But, although the line could have come out of the mouth of Bogart, it refers to a period and style of film-making that is a world away from what this tries to be.
Lena (Cate Blanchett) is a mystery, and the film is worth seeing for this magnificent, towering performance, that is also a study in emotional complexity. Long-suffering, she oozes oceans of repressed emotion in a way to make Ingrid Bergman proud. Although more complex than female protagonists of 40s movies, she is still the most successful part of the whole homage.
The story does have a little more subtlety than one might have expected, but I find it hard to imagine vast audiences wading through it joyfully until the pace eventually picks up enough to warrant serious interest. It's good to see the usually very capable Steven Soderbergh directing serious cinema again (instead of his Ocean's Eleven romps) but this over-ambitious project doesn't quite cut it. See it if you're a fan of Blanchett, or if you enjoy seeing Clooney getting beaten up.