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Steven Soderbergh indulges his experimental urges again in The Good German, a throwback to 1940s film noir. Modern "neo"-noirs are not particularly rare, dating back to at least 1974's Chinatown, but this must surely be the most authentic recreation of the old studio-era genre. For The Good German, Soderbergh - ever the innovator, which has led to both good and bad results during his career - not only elected to shoot in black and white but went a step further and actually used the same filmmaking technology that was available sixty years ago. Ubiquitous modern methods such as handheld photography and crane shots are nowhere to be seen. Likewise, Soderbergh resurrects the old rear projection technique for shots when the characters are riding in cars. But the distinctive director does bring his modern sensibility and undeniable talent to the process, meaning that despite these technological drawbacks the film never feels visually stodgy or lifeless. Somehow, even without the usual contemporary tricks, there are sequences that still manage to thrill. The camerawork never feels clunky.
In fact, The Good German is a fabulous looking film. It seeks to emulate the likes of Casablanca and The Third Man and succeeds admirably, improving on them in many visual respects - the higher contrast ratios available with modern film stock allow for brilliantly deep shadows and superb framing compositions. The old cliché that you could pause the film at any point and hang that frame on the wall certainly applies here. Presumably it is only the surprisingly venomous critical reaction that the film received that prevented it from bagging a Best Cinematography Oscar nomination (the only one it did receive was for Thomas Newman's exaggerated but entirely appropriate orchestral score). All the visual panache is in aid of establishing an excellent atmosphere, which enables suspense and intrigue to be sustained between the occasional plot revelations and scenes of violence.
That this review has so far dwelled almost entirely on the visual aspect of the film does betray the fact that it is to a certain extent primarily an exercise in style. That is not to suggest, however, that it has nothing else to offer. The labyrinthine plot, emblematic of so many film noirs, is difficult to follow at times but it is consistently engrossing and unveils several twists during its running time. The acting is of a high calibre too, as would be expected from this cast. Soderbergh makes use of George Clooney's Cary Grant-esque looks and the actor seems right at home, while the chameleonlike Cate Blanchett channels such famous starlets as Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo as the tale's German femme fatale. Maguire is also on form, enjoying the time away from playing everyone's favourite webslinging superhero. His character, Tully, isn't afraid of using expletives either, as Soderbergh makes use of more relaxed contemporary attitudes towards colourful language. Chinatown it ain't, but it is still undoubtedly a worthwhile entry in the modern noir canon.
The extras
Normally I'd be fuming if a DVD was presented in 4:3 aspect ratio and monaural sound, but here they are deliberate, as that's how movies used to be made. The picture quality of the film is absolutely pristine. It doesn't excuse the fact, however, that there are absolutely no extras to speak of.
The summary
As an experiment in style, The Good German is a definite success. On a narrative level, it stutters slightly due to its slight impenetrability, but still manages to be satisfying and rewarding.
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