Monday, May 5, 2014

Good (2008)

Director: Vicente Amorium

Writers: C.P. Taylor, John Wrathall

Composer: Simon Lacey

Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Jason Isaacs, Jodie Whittaker, Steven Mackintosh, Mark Strong, Gemma Jones, Anastasia Hille, Ruth Gemmell, Ralph Riach, Steven Elder, Kevin Doyle, David de Keyser, Guy Henry, Adrian Schiller

More info: IMDb

Tagline: Anything that makes people happy can't be bad, can it?

Plot: When John Halder’s (Mortensen) novel is enlisted by powerful political figures in the Nazi party to push their agenda, his career and social standing instantly advance. But after learning of the Reich’s horrific plans for the future and the devastating effects they will have on people close to him, John must decide whether or not to take a stand and risk losing everything.



My rating: 8/10

Will I watch it again? Yes.

There's something about films set in the 30s that I really dig.  It's probably the look and feel of the era, or perhaps the clothing, automobiles, etc.  It's a world away from where we are now.  This film does a fine job of staying within that moment and would be an interesting companion piece to THE CREMATOR (1969).  There are nice little details that I appreciated like the exterior locations (park, streets, etc) which were finely detailed and pleasant; it's a place you'd like to visit one sunny day, except of course that it's, you know, Nazi Germany.  That would dampen the mood a lot.  Everyone does a fine job.  Mortensen's accent lapses a little but he fills the role with ease.  But what I admire most about the picture is seeing someone slowly lose sight of his ideals over time and succumbing to the horrors of the SS as a bystander.  When he finally realizes this, it's too late.  The ending is beautiful in its execution. I'd love to see the play it's based on,  It'd also be nice to see this in a large darkened theater where you could entrench yourself into the past for an hour and a half.



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