"At least during the war you could tell who the bad guys were. They were the ones shooting at you." George Clooney's character
This is a very grim little movie. Everyone is stepping over piles of rubble and living in partially bombed out buildings in 1947 Berlin.
It's done in black and white using all the techniques filmmakers used in the 1940s. You'll feel you're watching an actual 1940s movie except it's almost entirely devoid of glamor or anything nice to look at (which filmmakers back then knew was essential to the movie-going experience).
Clooney is good -- yet not sexy. In fact the movie is devoid of any feeling except "My God what an awful time we're all having!"
Cate Blanchett is quite good, seeming a bit like Marlene Dietrich in certain close-ups. Tobey Maguire is cast against type and having a good time.
If you're looking to have some fun at this movie, you can start counting the 1940s film conventions Soderbergh experiments with. Or count the allusions to "Casablanca" (a much more satisfying and engaging film.)
This is a very grim little movie. Everyone is stepping over piles of rubble and living in partially bombed out buildings in 1947 Berlin.
It's done in black and white using all the techniques filmmakers used in the 1940s. You'll feel you're watching an actual 1940s movie except it's almost entirely devoid of glamor or anything nice to look at (which filmmakers back then knew was essential to the movie-going experience).
Clooney is good -- yet not sexy. In fact the movie is devoid of any feeling except "My God what an awful time we're all having!"
Cate Blanchett is quite good, seeming a bit like Marlene Dietrich in certain close-ups. Tobey Maguire is cast against type and having a good time.
If you're looking to have some fun at this movie, you can start counting the 1940s film conventions Soderbergh experiments with. Or count the allusions to "Casablanca" (a much more satisfying and engaging film.)