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The Good German (2006)

R  |   |  Drama, Mystery, Thriller  |  19 January 2007 (USA)
6.1
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Ratings: 6.1/10 from 20,785 users   Metascore: 49/100
Reviews: 173 user | 182 critic | 34 from Metacritic.com

While in post-war Berlin to cover the Potsdam Conference, an American military journalist is drawn into a murder investigation which involves his former mistress and his driver.

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(screenplay), (novel)
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Title: The Good German (2006)

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Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 4 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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Danny
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Bernie
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General Sikorsky
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Gunther
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Levi
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General
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British Press Aide
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Storyline

Berlin, July, 1945. Journalist Jake Geismer arrives to cover the Potsdam conference, issued a captain's uniform for easier passage. He also wants to find Lena, an old flame who's now a prostitute desperate to get out of Berlin. He discovers that the driver he's assigned, a cheerful down-home sadist named Corporal Tully, is Lena's keeper. When the body of a murdered man washes up in Potsdam (within the Russian sector), Jake may be the only person who wants to solve the crime: U.S. personnel are busy finding Nazis to bring to trial, the Russians and the Americans are looking for German rocket scientists, and Lena has her own secrets. Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Not Everyone Finds Peace After The War See more »


Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, violence and some sexual content | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

| |

Release Date:

19 January 2007 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

El buen alemán  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Budget:

$32,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$76,817 (USA) (15 December 2006)

Gross:

$1,304,837 (USA) (6 April 2007)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

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Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Kate Winslet was previously linked to the female lead. See more »

Goofs

Colonel Muller says "a year ago I was up to my balls in mud at Anzio" The Anzio operation was over by May 12, 1944. The European part of the war ended May 8, 1945. It would have been a lot more then a year since he was fighting in Anzio. See more »

Quotes

Bernie Teitel: Nothing better for a prosecutor than a criminal with a sense of history. Everything got written down. Who they killed, and what it cost. Meticulous record-keepers.
See more »

Crazy Credits

All the logos appear in black and white, while the Warner Brothers logo appears in the forties old style See more »

Connections

Referenced in Strictly Background (2007) See more »

Soundtracks

You're Some Pretty Doll
Written by Clarence Williams
Performed by William Marsh, Chris Ross, Johnny Britt and Gary Stockdale
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Not-so-good German
24 January 2007 | by (United States) – See all my reviews

A clever look: imitation vintage B-movie in black and white; Steven Soderbergh's appropriate, artful gimmick for this film set in Berlin in the immediate aftermath of WWII.

Cate Blanchett turns in an apt theatrical performance given "The Bad German's" archly retro conceit. As the film's mother/whore femme fatale, Cate is sphinx-like, world-weary and made up like a drag queen at Mardi Gras. George Clooney, meanwhile, turns in his routine performance that is altogether too modern and casual. Put him in scrubs and he's ready again for the ER. Together, they create no chemistry nor any other natural science. Toby McGuire, as a sleazy, black-marketing GI, is so painfully hammy you'll find yourself begging for him to stop.

The storyline is awkwardly developed and unnecessarily opaque, its characters cold and remote. There's really nobody to cheer for or identify with; no emotions to hook us into this world. When was the last time that international intrigue, on-screen, was so unintriguing? It's too bad we've been served such an exciting cinematic look -- an overly lit, noir-like one -- only as window dressing on a story as bleak and dreary as the blitzkrieged landscapes on view.


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