The good-looking 'German'

The year 2006 was an interesting one for director Steven Soderbergh's filmmaking experiments. Last January saw the release of "Bubble," Soderbergh's indie gem that spanned multiple release formats yet still went relatively unnoticed. In December, Soderbergh unveiled "The Good German," his throwback to old noirs of the 1940s using only equipment available at that time in history.\n"German," based on the World War II thriller from novelist Joseph Kanon, takes Soderbergh favorite George Clooney as Jake Geismer and sends him to the Potsdam conference as a military journalist covering the meeting of the "Big Three" after Germany's fall. Driven around the ashes of Berlin by Tully (Tobey Maguire, who should stick to playing Spider-Man and not attempting to speak German), Geismer stumbles upon America's plot to transport ex-Nazi scientists out of Germany to begin building bombs for the forthcoming Cold War with Russia; all the while Lena Brandt (Cate Blanchett), the wife of one of the dead scientists, wants to escape the rubble of her homeland.\nSoderbergh's intentions are obvious -- pay respects to the great classics of that bygone era of cinema -- with clear inspirations being "The Third Man" and "Casablanca." From the technical standpoint, he succeeded without question. "German" is a gorgeous-looking film, complete with beautiful low-key lighting that makes Blanchett look as beautiful as Marlene Dietrich, except Dietrich's eyes could burn a hole through a man. Soderbergh wisely chose to use genuine WWII stock footage of the city and Potsdam conference and these segments fit in nicely, although in terms of general editing purposes, one wants to remind Soderbergh that there were more ways to cut a scene than just using wipes. The score is equally impressive, boasting a bombastic yet dramatic charm that only one of my favorite composers, Thomas Newman, could accomplish. Newman earned "German's" only Oscar nod for Best Original Score. This marks his eighth nomination and he's still yet to win. It'd be nice for him to collect the statue, but this year's competition is rough.\nWhere "German" falters is its rather obtuse story. One question pops up and once that answer is discovered yet another question has arrived. We watch these characters maneuver through the shadows of Berlin but we have no reason to root for them. In "The Third Man," you're kept interested with the hopes that at some point, Harry Lime will arrive; in "Casablanca" you anxiously wait to see if Ingrid Bergman can escape Morocco. Here we just wonder if Clooney will ever win a fight and if Blanchett does escape Berlin, will she really be any better off? \nAs much as I support the Soderbergh/Clooney pairing, they're suited much better with the "Ocean's" movies. Clooney is only OK here and, much like Maguire, shouldn't attempt to speak German any time soon, as the dozen or so lines he mutters come out with a clunky, awkward thud. Blanchett, however, is the film's strongest actor, which should be no surprise given her equally impressive turns in 2006's "Babel" and "Notes on a Scandal." \nPerhaps down the road I'll find a greater appreciation for "The Good German;" for now I'm content with remembering the beautiful cinematography while listening to the score on my iPod.