Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- brooding
- smoky
- paranoid
- classic noir night
- historical thriller marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly agreed that the film's glossy 1940s noir imitation was visually accomplished but too self-conscious and underdeveloped in characterization.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Soderbergh shoots Berlin in a consciously recreated 1940s studio-noir style, including period lighting, staging, and presentation.
Jake's murder investigation is complicated by American, Russian, and Nazi-hunting agendas surrounding the Potsdam conference.
Jake searches for Lena amid her prostitution, black-market pressures, and concealed wartime history in devastated Berlin.
The divided sectors, black market, missing Nazis, and competition for rocket scientists create a society governed by expediency.
Films like The Good German, and why
The Third Man
period noir mystery shaped by postwar corruption, moral compromise, and romantic entanglement
Casablanca
stylized wartime mystery combining political intrigue, doomed romance, and noir atmosphere
Germany Year Zero
postwar European noir centered on divided loyalties, damaged protagonists, and investigative suspense
Movie Details
- Director
- Steven Soderbergh
- Release Date
- 2006-12-15
- Runtime
- 108 min
- Rating
- 5.8 / 10 (365)
Cast
- George Clooney
- Cate Blanchett
- Tobey Maguire
- Beau Bridges
- Tony Curran
- Leland Orser
- Jack Thompson
- Robin Weigert
- Ravil Isyanov
- Christian Oliver
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Good German about?
- In occupied Berlin, a returning war correspondent investigates a murder while searching for the lover whose secrets connect the city’s rival powers.
- What is The Good German like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Good German as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Good German violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Good German as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Good German?
- Critics broadly agreed that the film's glossy 1940s noir imitation was visually accomplished but too self-conscious and underdeveloped in characterization.
- Which films are like The Good German?
- Films with a similar feel include The Third Man, Casablanca, and Germany Year Zero.
- How long is The Good German?
- The Good German runs 108 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Good German?
- In United States, The Good German is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
