> Good
Director: Vicente Amorim
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Jason Isaacs, Jodie Whittaker, Steven Mackintosh, Mark Strong, Gemma Jones
Rating: (M)
2 stars (out of 5)
Reviewed by Mark Orton.
Imagine The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, the aged version.
With the same use of English accents, Good focuses on the complex bond between Aryan citizens and Jewish friends, pre-Kristallnacht.
John Halder (Viggo Mortensen) is a college professor living a relatively banal life in a slightly unhinged household.
After writing a book on compassionate euthanasia, Halder discovers that he is a darling of the National Socialist movement.
Despite his initial reluctance (and good judgement), he allows himself to be seduced by power. That, in a nutshell is Good, or should be.
The problem is, aside from Mortensen's skill in what is a difficult role, Good never entirely decides what is at stake.
After wading through what seems like a never-ending tease, we stumble upon the film's most poignant moment: Halder's loyalty crisis.
Relishing his moment in the spotlight, Halder appears to value the trappings of the job rather than the liberty of his Jewish friend, Maurice (Jason Isaacs). Indeed, it is the terse exchanges between Halder and Maurice that give the film a badly needed jolt.
But there are simply too many unconnected elements to maintain interest.
The connection between Halder's fictional use of euthanasia and Nazi ideology is fascinating but ineffectual.
Save for Mortensen's skill with the weak script, there are simply too many loose threads.
Best thing: Mortensen's chameleon-like ability to assume characters.
Worst thing: The storytelling. Is Good a tale about Jewish persecution, literature on trial, infidelity or euthanasia?
See it with: A conviction to see every Holocaust film made.
