The Good German

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The Good German

R

2006

1h 45m

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

34%

Tomatometer

152 Reviews

33%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Jake Geismar (George Clooney), an Army correspondent, helps his former lover, Lena Brandt (Cate Blanchett), comb post-World War II Berlin for her missing husband, who is wanted by American and Russian forces. Shadowing their efforts is Jake's driver, Tully (Tobey Maguire), a GI with connections to the black market. His loyalties unclear to them, Lena and Jake know that Tully has the power to lead them to salvation or great danger.

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Critics Consensus

Though Steven Soderbergh succeeds in emulating the glossy look of 1940s noirs, The Good German ultimately ends up as a self-conscious exercise in style that forgets to develop compelling characters.

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Namrata Joshi

Outlook

Jan 24, 2019

2/4

There's a certain distance with which you view the characters, the involvement is not such that they stay with you after the film.

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Brian Tallerico

UGO

Mar 24, 2007

It's Soderbergh's commitment and creativity that lift The Good German above many of its peers, no matter the era.

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Geoff Andrew

Time Out

Mar 8, 2007

Why emphasise flaws in a film of such overall ambition and expertise?

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Noah Berlatsky

Splice Today

Feb 26, 2026

This is one of the great World War II films, precisely because it turns the genre against itself and against the American self-aggrandizement that has generally been its purpose.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Nov 17, 2025

2/4

There's not much beyond self-conscious mise-en-scènes and a lead actor who isn't mysterious or magnetic as much as he's simply aloof.

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Jeff Beck

The Blu Spot

May 28, 2025

2.5/5

The Good German is quite successful in capturing the look & feel of the classic film noirs it's paying homage to, but sadly it ends up being far less successful when it comes to the film's actual substance.

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Anneka T

@Traveler342 Sep 26, 2026

I don't understand why this movie got such a low rating as I find it to be an excellent story about the chaos, danger, intrigue, grey areas, and "Operation Overcast" that occurred in post-WWII Germany/Berlin. It was the Wild West. Cate Blanchett, George Clooney and others gave very good performances (for the most part). The reasons that I did not give this movie a full 5 stars was due to the abyssimal miscasting of Tobey Maguire as an abusive, bad guy and the bumbling and naive behavior of George Clooney when he puts himself in many bad situations, unarmed, which in real post- WWII Berlin, it is highly doubtful he would have survived. Many people just disappeared in that place. It is also a story of the lengths that people will go to survive. Yes, it could have been a better movie, but, nevertheless, I really liked it and will watch it again.

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Taylor B

@bigfishjuan Jun 2, 2026

Wanna-be Casablanca, but difficult to get past the horrible performance of Maguire.

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thiago s

@Thiagostone May 28, 2025

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom.

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Marit Risto F

@RT66247982 Oct 30, 2024

Surprisingly bad acting from these fabulous, and experienced actors/actresses. The script must have impossible...

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jelisije j

@jjosifovic Jun 14, 2022

A nice homage to the classic Casablanca.

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jack s

@RT58840043 Jan 7, 2022

A self-indulgent curiosity that has a classic vintage film look, but not the gripping story and memorable characters that could have made it special. Clooney is solid, Blanchett is great (as always), but the usually likable Maguire and Bridges are both mis-cast. Also, the screenplay is frustratingly confusing and the film's ending is completely flat—the audience has long been aware by then what depths Lena (powerfully played by Blanchett) is capable of to survive. In fact, the ending is a perfect example of what's wrong with film as a whole: the director seemed concerned exclusively with the Casablanca finale-like visuals.

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Steven Soderbergh

Director

George Clooney

Jake Geismar

Cate Blanchett

Lena Brandt

Tobey Maguire

Tully

Beau Bridges

Col. Muller

Tony Curran

Danny

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Synopsis

Jake Geismar (George Clooney), an Army correspondent, helps his former lover, Lena Brandt (Cate Blanchett), comb post-World War II Berlin for her missing husband, who is wanted by American and Russian forces. Shadowing their efforts is Jake's driver, Tully (Tobey Maguire), a GI with connections to the black market. His loyalties unclear to them, Lena and Jake know that Tully has the power to lead them to salvation or great danger.

Director: Steven Soderbergh
Producer: Ben Cosgrove, Gregory Jacobs
Screenwriter: Paul Attanasio
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Production Co: Warner Bros., Section Eight Ltd.
Rating: R (Some Sexual Content|Language|Violence)
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 15, 2006, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 1, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.3M
Runtime: 1h 45m

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