the good german is a tough movie to review. i didn't like it that much but it sure was beautiful. it had things that were great but then also things that didn't work that well. i didn't think it really deserved three and a half stars but the way my rating system works it scored higher than i thought it would. i say this because it really did look amazing. the way soderbergh made shot the film and the cinematography with it's harsh light, black and white film stock and strong use of shadow play really did feel like a a film from the 40's, which is what this film tried to emulate. cate blanchett was amazing, as always, and really sold her character well. and the sets, locations, costumes, make-up, props and sound design were all top tier. couple that with a somewhat intriguing story and a great score and a somewhat enjoyable if slow pace and you get a film that scores as high as it did. but what brings it down a bunch of points, what stops it from reaching the heights it wants to achieve is the pacing, the script and the modern day touches. the film feels long and could and should be shorter and somewhat drags at places and the story is rather confusing at times with a narration that jumps between characters which didn't work at all. but it's biggest problem is that for a film that tries to ape casablanca and succeeds 100% in its visual aesthetic but fails miserably in its script which incorporates modern day swearing, violence and sex that doesn't work. it takes away from the 40's vibe that the film is trying to present and it becomes more of a distraction than anything else. there are also one or two music cues that do the same thing but nowhere near to the same degree. this was something that best picture winner the artist achieved by sticking to the rules and regulations of its time period. visually stunning with a fantastic performance from blanchett and being just engaging enough the good german is both a clever and well executed failure and a film that had potential to be so much better. soderbergh, always trying to do something different, as he does, doesn't quite succeed but being soderbergh he doesn't really fail either. thinking about it i guess there is lots to like about this film and that's why it scores so high, i just wish it had scored higher. production design: 9 out of 10 cinematography: 9 out of 10 re-playability: 5 out of 10 originality: 8 out of 10 costumes: 9 out of 10 directing: 7 out of 10 editing: 7 out of 10 acting: 8 out of 10 music: 7 out of 10 script: 6 out of 10 75/100