The Good German

"This black-and-white backlot production endeavors to recapture the bitter romanticism of such '40s studio artifacts as "Casablanca" and "A Foreign Affair" while adding contemporary frankness. But doing what came naturally to Hollywood craftsmen 60 years ago is clearly harder than it appeared, as Soderbergh can't duplicate the look and feel of the old-fashioned entertainments he means to honor..."

"Soderbergh couldn't bring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman back from the dead, but he did the next best thing. He hired George Clooney..."

"I hold Soderbergh in high esteem, but as handsome a technical achievement as it is, The Good German plays to me as a failed experiment..."

"Self-consciously clever but utterly unengaging, this artfully antique black-and-white drama by the versatile Soderbergh is fatally handicapped by a lack of chemistry between its two leads..."

"Blanchett gets everything right -- the accent, her German dialogue, the weary sexuality (deliberately reminiscent of Marlene Dietrich) and the amorality her character has embraced..."

"Overall, while the film is a gorgeous, nostalgic cinema experience, and there's definitely a multiple of mini-plots to unravel while you work towards the final resolution, the film comes up as a bit of a dud..."

"This should have been Soderbergh gold. Instead it is mostly unengaging and dull, proof positive that they don’t make them like they used to..."