The Good German (2006) Warner Brothers 4k Review

Director: Steven Soderbergh Screenwriter: Paul Attanasio Actors: George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, Tobey Maguire, Beau Bridges, Tony Curran, Leland Orser, Jack Thompson, Robin Weigert, Ravil Isyanov, Dave Power, Christian Oliver, Don Pugsley, Dominic Comperatore

Steven Soderbergh never found himself pigeonholed as a director in one genre. Whether it was comedy, biographical films, historical, action or thrillers. Warner Brothers released a Soderbergh film The Informant on 4K! But that wasn't to be all that we would get on 4K!

In 2006 Warner Brothers allocated a 32-million-dollar budget to an adaption of a Joseph Kanon novel and gave Steven Soderbergh the director's chair, with some pretty big star power of George Clooney (Ticket to Paradise), Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth), and Tobey Maguire (Spiderman Trilogy). The film was the neo-noir crime film entitled The Good German. Warner Brothers has now given this film a 4K UltraHD release!

Synopsis: Berlin, 1945. Everyone in Berlin has a secret. Everyone is working an angle to get what they need: money, power, survival . . . or just a way out. Academy Award -winning filmmakers Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney teamed up for this silver screen treatment of Joseph Kanon's acclaimed novel. Amidst the ruins of post-World War II Berlin, U.S. Army war correspondent Jake Geismer (Clooney) becomes embroiled with Lena Brandt (Cate Blanchett), a former lover whose missing husband is the object of a manhunt by both the American and Russian armies. Intrigue mounts as Jake tries to uncover the secrets Lena may be hiding in her desperation to get herself and her husband out of Berlin. Tobey Maguire also stars in this taut thriller as a soldier with black market connections who may be Lena's way out -- or her entry into even darker territory.

Steven Soderbergh has such a unique eye for cinema. It's brave to shoot a film in the 2000s in full screen and in black and white. But Soderbergh wanted to give this film a true 1940s feel. And except for the violence, profanity and sexual content. It really has a 40s feel to it!

When you look at the box office, this film was a box office failure only earning 6 million dollars against the 32-million-dollar budget. But the box office is not a fair assessment of how good a film is. For the film Soderbergh bring great performances out of the cast and the film itself is a decent film noir about World War II. But in all honesty, there are better films about World War II.  

Warner Brothers has transferred The Good German in 2160p and is presented in its original Academy ratio 1.33:1. The audio track is an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. There is also the option for English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing. 

The 4K presentation of this film really brings out the detail of the black and white noir picture. The quality of the picture is sharp as a tack and the audio is clear as a bell. Soderbergh's 40 film noir homage really shines in 4K!

Now as for bonus features. There is very little to talk about. This release comes with the 4K disc and a bonus Blu-ray disc if you haven't upgraded to the 4K yet. The lone on disc bonus is the theatrical trailer. This is sad as we are coming upon the 20th anniversary of this film. It deserved a few more bonus features in my humble opinion.

Even though this film was a box office failure. And even though it has received mixed reviews. I think Steven Soderbergh's The Good German deserves to be experienced again! And there is no better way to see this film is on this 4K UltraHD!

So, if you love 1940's film noirs and you've seen them all. Why not try The Good German it pay homage to the 40s film noir with actors that most in this generation will know. Head over to Amazon or Physical Media Land and order your copy today!


Out of 4 films reels (4 being the best) The 4K UltraHD release of The Good German receives.....