97. Listener Request | THE GOOD GERMAN (2006) dir. Steven Soderbergh

Steven Soderbergh is one of my favorite directors. That's not to say he's made my favorite movies, but rather, I admire the way he goes about selecting projects, his efficiency in getting projects done (He sometimes completes multiple movies in the same year!) , his penchant for big indulgent swings.And God, what a swing THE GOOD GERMAN is. The guy famous for the OCEAN'S ELEVEN remake and expanded trilogy decides to make his own film noir, researching '40s noir so heavily that he employs the same lenses, lighting techniques, methods of performance. The movie's detractors call this a pastiche. They're not wrong, but when I hear "pastiche," I think "lazy ripoff." Ain't nothing about this fucker lazy.Jake Geismer (George Clooney) arrives in post-WWII Berlin to find a city in ruins, split among the Allies for the spoils on the eves of the Potsdam Conference, where Harry S. Truman, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin will meet to discuss how to handle the aftermath of the war. Geismer's there to report on the conference, but becomes embroiled in a murder mystery involving his ex-flame Lena (Cate Blanchett), her new beau, an Army man-turned-smuggler named Tully (Tobey Maguire) and multiple government conspirators. All in a film's work for a noir protagonist.Look, even if a black-and-white '40s style noir isn't your thing, that cast? The director? It's a bounty of riches to play with. I'm not gonna say the movie's a masterpiece or anything, but if you think I wouldn't prefer this kind of project over the next Aquaman or Trolls movie, you're out your fuckin' mind.---Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠Instagram ⁠⁠& ⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠Financially support the podcast via the ⁠⁠tip jar!