Seen: July 13th, 2007
Format: DVD
Rating: 7
I like Soderbergh's films. He's got a pretty huge range and a fundamental understanding of film from all aspects. Here he recreates the 40s style by telling a story that is rife with intrigue and deception. I think it works.
Others disagree.
There are some, and not a small some, who believe that in trying to stay true to a style that has long since passed on, Soderbergh is doing the film itself a disservice. They hold that by constraining the film in so many ways that the story and even the film itself suffers horribly. I say "Get over it".
Rendering the film in this fashion was a conscious and artistic decision made by the director. Soderbergh has made many experimental films, Schizopolis and Bubble leap immediately to mind. While he also makes mainstream films, to expect every film he makes that happens to feature a well known and accomplished cast to be one is narrow and selfish.
Obviously the actors involved in this picture took it seriously. Their performances are so far from the current norm that they had to act in a different way to accomplish them. Actors generally like to act. More so, they like to act in ways that challenge their abilities and widen there experience. This film does both.
The performances are excellent. I was surprised by McGuire's character. I've never seen him play someone this duplicitous before. Robin Weigert was another pleasant surprise. I almost didn't recognize her.
The story is mostly a backdrop here. It's a decently convoluted mystery, set in the backdrop of immediate post-war Berlin. While the period lends a bit to story, there's little here that couldn't have been transplanted to another time and locale. It moves at a decent clip, continually throwing us surprises and deepening the mystery.
The real star here though, is the photography. The film is in black and white and takes full advantage of the medium. The use of dark, light and contrast is simply great. The film is simply luminous at times. Soderbergh has put a great effort into making this film look right as well as fell right, and it shows. The closing shot is positively iconic.
Make no mistake, this is an art film, and an experimental one at that. If you're expecting Hollywood fodder in the vein of Ocean's 13 this isn't a film for you. But if you can look past the stars and the stock story, there's an homage to 40s cinema that sparkles.
The Good: Stylistically brilliant
The Bad: Stylistically fettered
The Ugly: Trading justice for power
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