Mar 31st
The Good German*
(Cineworld Birmingham)

US 2006. Warner Bros/Virtual Studios/Section Eight. 108m. bw

In 1945 a US Army war correspondent covering the Pottsdam conference discovers that his driver is dating an ex-lover of his, and the three of them are all embroiled in conspiracy and murder in post-war-torn Berlin.
A nostalgic pastiche of 1940s Warner Brothers black-and-white thrillers, complete with knowing references to certain well known classics, a little rough at the edges however with some modern trimmings. The look of the film is brilliantly evocative, as if made in the "Hollywood" studio style, and the likes of Michael Curtiz and Hal Wallis in their day would have made a film with a much more clearly defined plot and engaging characters than in this convoluted tale.

Written by: Paul Attanasio, from the novel by Joseph Kanon.
Producers: Ben Cosgrove, Gregory Jacobs.
Director: Steven Soderbergh.
Starring: George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, Tobey Maguire, Beau Bridges, Tony Curran, Leland Orser, Jack Thompson, Robin Weigert, Ravil Isyanov, Christian Oliver.
Photography: Peter Andrews (Steven Soderbergh).
Music: Thomas Newman.
Editing: Mary Ann Bernard (Steven Soderbergh).