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Plot Summary
When John Halder’s latest novel is enlisted by the Nazi party to push their agenda, his career and social standing instantly advance. But after learning of the Reich’s horrific plans for the future, John must decide whether to do nothing and keep his fame or risk losing everything. Starring Viggo Mortensen, Jason Isaacs and Mark Strong.
Credits
Director
Screenwriter
Rotten Tomatoes Movie Reviews
TOMATOMETER
33%- Reviews Counted: 69
- Fresh: 23
- Rotten: 46
- Average Rating: 4.9/10
Top Critics' Reviews
Rotten: Morally speaking, everything about Good is tidily correct. But it is more a predictable parable than a full-fledged narrative.
Rotten: A strong cast and good starting material doesn't manage to save this unsuccessful adaptation.
Rotten: Not for the first time, great theatre makes for a merely adequate film.
Rotten: It's a thought-provoking theme, which is rather let down by a thoroughly unconvincingly turn from Mortensen.
Customer Reviews
Good it wasn't
(Adapted from the stage play -1981 by C. P. Taylor)
Billed as a Drama it's simply too facile to make the grade.
Good has no emotional depth or any historic relevance.
And as for morality (the whole point) - it's just too ambivalent and ambiguous and bland.
This is no 'Schindler's List ' - no shock or horror at the Nazi program it was intended to depict.
While Viggo Mortensen might look the part - he never brings anything out with any conviction or passion. Like the rest of the cast you never really believe in him or any of the characters or in the plot. As such the cause célèbre never arises - it just lies there throbbing.
What could have been a riveting, fast paced, expose - a heart rendering tale featuring a Third Reich back-story with insights into the treatment and atrocities suffered by German Jews - simply never gets there. Falling short in every single department, with the possible exception of cinematography.
The characters are all very one-dimensional cameo's of 'what could have been'.
Very disappointing! No depth, No engagement. Just shallow, very unbelievable portrayals. Full Stop.
The lead character 'Professor' Halder (Viggo Mortensen) has absolutely no depth and while meant to be psychotic is very unconvincing - coming across as slow, moronic, dumb, disinterested, emotionless, dithering, weak and just plain stupid man. This while 'GOOD' was meant to refer to what Halder believes he is - you're left confused, unable to make ANY such conclusion OR even why he may have thought this.
As for the 'central plot device' - that Halder, under stress, keeps hearing music and sees people lip synching favorite songs in his mind - just doesn't fit what's happening on screen (or the plot) or go anywhere and thus falls flat. With you left thinking - 'Why' or 'What's with the lip sync'?
While an integral part of the stage play it simply doesn't work in 'this' movie and further distracts, irritates and slows down what's an already very 'snail-like' pace.
However, Jason Isaac's portrayal of his Jewish friend 'Glückstein' is a small ray of light.
While playing the 'pivotal plot focus' - it falls abysmally short of being truly engaging or believable. However Jason's performance is thoughtful and marginally convincing, be it, that like the rest of the cast, is still stilted and 'obvious' - probably due more to exceptionally bad Direction and a very Stiff script - than Jason's acting ability.
(And the pitiful 'Romeo and Juliette' apartment / street scene just seems to sums it all up. The cherry on the top!)
And what of Complexity - well there just isn't any, NOTHING! BLAND is the word that comes to mind.
However on the Dis-Jointed Scale it scores a 10.
The very disjointed story line (editing) lurches from one scene to the next with seemingly endless speech pauses and equally slow, boring, laboriously 'nowhere' dialog. Making you want to reach for the sick bag - after hitting the fast forward button to get 'things MOVING' - knowing you're not going to miss anything... doing either.
While the stage play extended to include events that occur post the war - here we're left dangling with an abrupt 1942, 'more Halder head music', ending.
Leaving you wondering - 'What was that all about' - 'What was the point'?
This also possibly because 50% of the narrative of the play got left out - which while necessary and sometimes desirable in movie versions - here it does nothing to 'make Good' this movie. Confusing the whole storyline and with it any vestige of drama - in what is a very badly made, badly acted and badly conceived movie.
'Good' could have been Great ! A 'Blockbuster' and maybe even a serious 'Award' contender.
But as I said 'Schindler's List' it's not. Not even the same galaxy.
SUMMARY
Good is 'weak chicken soup' bubbling away on a slow back burner that leaves you thinking what (or) was Vincente Amorim, thinking?
What was I doing renting it.
But hey, that's just this reviewers view.
Who knows, you may love it.
One never knows.
Believable and unbelievable at the same time.
Beautifully acted, completely engrossing, horrific and yet fully human. Unfortunately understandable and yet defying all logic.
Draws You In
The plot line is unique. The acting is wonderful. The lighting and camera angles draw you into the movie. What is astounding about this movie is the fact that there is no real violence in the movie. And yet, the movie makes you feel the horrendous violence that was taking place during the Nazi regime. The movie makes you feel the depression and hopelessness that Germans felt as the Nazi regime gained power. Betrayal is a big theme in this movie and what it does to the characters. Irony is also a theme as the burning of books took place at the same time that the ideas in the star's book were used by the regime. One of the most important messages that this movie carries to the viewer is the reminder that good people can be used by ruthless people and be done in such a manner that the good person is unaware until it is too late. Hence the name of the movie Good.
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